tihvavy  of  t:he  t:heolo0ical  ^eminarjp 

PRINCETON  .  NEW  JERSEY 

FROM  THE  LIBRARY  OF 
ROBERT  ELLIOTT  SPEER 


BV  4501  .F57  1919 
Fleming,  Daniel  Johnson, 

1877-1969. 
Marks  of  a  world  Christian 


6 


M//. 


/^/^_ 


MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 


EVERYDAY  LIFE  SERIES 

The  Christian  According  TO  Paul:  John  T.  Paris 
Psalms  of  the  Social  Life:  Cleland  B.  McAfee 
The  Many-Sided  David:  Philip  E.  Howard 
Meeting  the  Master:  Ozora  S.  Davis 
Under  the  Highest  Leadership:  John  Douglas  Adam 
A  Living  Book  in  a  Living  Age:  Lynn  Harold  Hough 
How  God  Calls  Men  :  Prederick  Harris 
Marks  of  a  World  Christian:  Daniel  Johnson  Pleming 
Other  volumes  to  be  announced  later 


EVERYDAY  LIFE  SERIE;^^^^^    ^^  PWH/Q^ 

FEB  20  1959 


'^OGIG 


AL   SOii\ 


Marks  of  a  World  ChrisHan 


DANIEL  JOHNSON  FLEMING 

I 

Professor  of  Missions,  Union  Theological  Seminary 


ASSOCIATION    PRESS 

New   York  :    347    Madison    Avenue 
1919 


Copyright,  1919,  by 

The  International  Committee  of 

Young  Men's  Christian  Associations 


The  Bible  Text  used  in  this  volume  is  taken  from  the  American  Standard 
Edition  of  the  Revised  Bible,  copyright,  1901,  by  Thomas  Nelson  &  Sons,  and 
is  used  by  permission. 


TO 
MY  SISTER  LOIS 


FOREWORD 

Internationalism  has  always  been  implicit  in  Christianity.. 
During  three  great  eras  of  Christian  expansion  this  inter- 
nationalism became  consciously  explicit  in  the  Church's  out- 
reach to  non-Christian  lands.  An  analysis  of  the  missionary- 
consciousness  back  of  these  great  movements  ought  to  yield 
certain  fundamental  elements  that  should  characterize  every 
Christian.  We  turn  to  what,  historically^  has  been  Chris- 
tianity's highest  expression  in  order  to  see  more  clearly  the 
mind  which  each  Christian  should  bring  to  bear  upon  the 
world. 

Throughout  this  little  book  it  has  been  assumed  that,  ideally, 
there  is  no  difference  between  the  Christian  and  the  world 
Christian.  Being  a  Christian  is  not  a  matter  of  the  here  or 
the  there  of  an  act  or  an  attitude,  but  refers  to  a  certain 
characteristic  response  which  is  independent  of  geography. 

It  is  hoped  that  these  studies  will  help  both  individuals  and 
churches  in  self-examination.  The  analysis  found  in  these 
successive  chapters  does  not  attempt  to  be  exhaustive,  but 
certain  outstanding  elements  have  been  chosen  for  considera- 
tion. One  or  another  of  these  nine  "marks"  will  probably 
need  emphasized  development,  in  order  that  the  spirit  which 
we  bring  to  the  world's  great  problems  may  be  both  Christian 
and  international. 

D.  J,  F. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

Foreword vii 

I.   Consciousness  of  the  Larger  Self i 

II.   Respect  for  the  Capacity  of  Other  Peoples  ....  23 

III.  Responsiveness  to  Human  Need 47 

IV.  Faith  in  the  Pursuant  Love  of  God 72 

V.  The  Impulsion  of  a  Great  Experience 88 

VI.   Zeal  for  the  Manifestation  of  God 110 

VII.   Courage  for  World  Purposes 132 

VIII.   Readiness  to  Pay  the  Cost 154 

IX.,,  A  Sense  of  Vocation 178 


CHAPTER  I 

Consciousness  of  the  Larger  Self 

Indissolubly  knit  together  are  myself,  other  folks,  and  God. 
This  triangular  relationship  is  characterized  by  a  very  real 
solidarity.  To  this  living,  vital,  interpenetrating  organism  is 
given  the  name,  the  larger  self.  Now  a  consciousness  of  this 
interrelatedness  and  interdependence  of  life  is  one  essential 
for  a  great  new  constructive  era.  Let  us  first  consider  this 
truth  in  the  form  of  an  ancient  analogy. 

DAILY  READINGS 
First  Week,  First  Day:  The  Family  of  God 

He  made  of  one  every  nation  of  men  to  dwell  on  all 
the  face  of  the  earth,  having  determined  their  appointed 
seasons,  and  the  bounds  of  their  habitation;  that  they 
should  seek  God,  if  haply  they  might  feel  after  him  and 
find  him,  though  he  is  not  far  from  each  one  of  us:  for 
in  him  we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being;  as  certain 
even  of  your  own  poets  have  said. 

For  we  are  also  his  offspring. — Acts  17:26-28. 

In  these  verses  is  made  one  of  the  great  generalizations 
with  reference  to  mankind.  However,  long  before  this  decla- 
ration of  the  essential  unity  of  the  human  race  in  one  great 
family  or  household,  we  find  that  occasional  prophetic  minds 
were  thinking  in  terms  of  humanity.  It  is  worth  while  to 
read  right  through  the  thirty-two  verses  of  names  and  peoples 
found  in  the  tenth  chapter  of  Genesis  in  order  to  come  from 
this  to  the  first  verse  of  the  next  chapter.  The  religious  value 
of  that  long  list  of  names  is  in  the  realization  that  all  races 
of  the  earth  belong  to  the  same  great  family  and  are  really 
kinsmen.     There  is  one  family  of  God — not  many. 

Have  we  ever  seriously  considered  the  obligation  arising 
from  this  great  truth?  It  involves  an  international  community 
of  interests  and  responsibilities,  an  international  fellowship 
in  gain  and  loss,  in  honor  and  dishonor.    When  men  say  with 

I 


[1-2]  MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

Meredith  Townsend  that  "something  radical,  something  un- 
alterable and  indestructible,  divides  the  Asiatic  from  the 
European,  .  .  .  they  are  fenced  off  from  each  other  by  an 
invisible,  impalpable,  but  impassable  wall  as  rigid  and  inflexible 
as  that  which  divides  the  master  from  his  dog,"^  they  are 
forming  the  background  in  thought  for  racial  war.  It  is  the 
denial  of  the  implications  of  mankind's  unity  in  one  family 
that  makes  nationalism  dangerous.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
thorough-going  acceptance  of  those  implications  would  crowd 
out  selfish  suspicion  and  aggression,^  while  dignifying  and 
ennobling  national  individuality  and  attainment.  Success  in 
the  acceptance  of  the  truth  may  be  tested  by  the  mutual  atti- 
tudes between  peoples. 

It  is  a  growing  realization  of  this  truth  that  is  causing 
a  gradual  disuse  of  the  word  "foreign"  in  connection  with 
missions.  With  one  blood,  one  human  family,  there  can  be 
no  sharp  line  between  obligation  to  community,  to  nation,  and 
to  the  world.  It  is  that  larger  outreach,  however,  which  we 
have  known  as  foreign  missions,  that  preeminently  makes  its 
great  heroic  venture  on  the  fundamental  soundness  of  the 
postulate  of  today's  teaching.  Foreign  missionaries  act  on 
the  conviction  that  the  solidarity  of  the  human  race  in  God's 
family  is  true ;  they  thereby  become  the  most  powerful  agents 
for  creating  the  realization  of  that  truth. 

The  intelligent  assimilation  of  the  truth  as  to  the  essential 
unity  of  the  human  race  on  the  part  of  any  individual  or 
group,  is  a  real  attainment.  When  can  it  be  said  of  us,  as  of 
Jesus:  "He  is  not  ashamed  to  call  them  brethren"?  (Heb. 
2:  ii).  Or  when  will  we  join  with  him  in  saying:  "Behold  my 
mother  and  my  brethren !  Whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of 
my  Father  which  is  in  heaven,  the  same  is  my  brother,  and 
sister,  and  mother.  .  .  .  My  Father,  and  your  Father"?  (Matt. 
12:49,  50;  John  20:  17). 

First  Week,  Second  Day :  Still  Struggling  for  Mono- 
theism 

Thus  saith  Jehovah  to  his  anointed,  to  Cyrus,  whose 
right  hand  I  have  holden,  to  subdue  nations  before  him, 
...  I  am  Jehovah,  and  there  is  none  else;  besides  me  there 
is  no  God.  I  will  gird  thee,  though  thou  hast  not  known 
me;  that  they  may  know  from  the  rising  of  the  sun,  and 

1  "Asia  and  Europe,"  pp.  50  and  150. 

2 


CONSCIOUSNESS  OF  LARGER  SELF         [I-3] 

from  the  west,  that  there  is  none  besides  me:  I  am  Jeho- 
vah, and  there  is  none  else. — Isa.  45 :  i,  5,  6. 

There  is  one  body,  and  one  Spirit,  even  as  also  ye  were 
called  in  one  hope  of  your  calling  .  .  .  one  God  and  Father 
of  all,  who  is  over  all,  and  through  all,  and  in  all. — Eph. 
4:4,  6. 

For  there  is  no  distinction  between  Jew  and  Greek: 
for  the  same  Lord  is  Lord  of  all,  and  is  rich  unto  all 
that  call  upon  him. — Rom.  10: 12. 

We  shall  never  attain  the  democracy  of  God  until  we  have 
a  common,  vital,  monotheistic  faith  at  the  spiritual  basis  of 
our  lives.  There  was  a  time  when  tribal  gods  were  commonly 
worshiped.  This  was  true  amongst  all  neighboring  peoples 
in  Isaiah's  time.  Even  Yahweh,  himself,  had  been  honored 
as  the  exclusively  national  God  of  Israel.  With  magnificent 
insight,  however,  the  prophets  declared  Yahweh  to  be  the 
controller  of  the  whole  world.  Isaiah  believed  that  even  the 
foreigner,  Cyrus,  could  be  considered  an  anointed  servant  of 
Jehovah.  Amos  must  have  astounded  the  people  of  his  day 
by  declaring  that  God  does  not  love  the  Israelites  more  than 
the  Negroes  (Amos  9:7).  And  a  beautiful  Syriac  render- 
ing of  Isaiah  9:7  says  that  "Great  is  his  kingdom  and  of 
his  dominion  is  there  no  frontier."  Hebrew  prophecy  was 
the  interpretation  of  history  in  terms  of  God's  purpose,  and 
increasingly  was  it  perceived  that  this  purpose  was  utilizing 
other  nations  along  with  Israel. 

Signs  are  not  wanting,  however,  that  even  in  modern  times 
many  have  been  worshiping  tribal  gods.  The  aspirations  and 
petitions  of  many  a  prayer  during  the  War  revealed  an  un- 
conscious survival  of  belief  in  one's  deity  as  limited  to  one's 
area.  Are  we  willing  to  believe  that  some  non-Christian 
monarch  or  people  may  be  chosen  agents  in  the  hand  of  our 
God?  Do  we  really  acknowledge  to  ourselves  that  the  Alaskan 
and  the  Burman,  the  Korean  and  the  African  are  just  as  dear 
to  God  as  we?  Let  us  with  warmth  of  conviction  exclaim: 
"God's  in  the  Occident — God's  in  the  Orient." 

First  Week,  Third  Day:  The  Essential  Condition 
for  the  Larger  Unity 

There  can  be  neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  there  can  be 
neither  bond  nor  free,  there  can  be  no  male  and  female; 
for  ye  all  are  one  man  in  Christ  Jesus. — Gal.  3:28. 


[1-3]  MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

Where  there  cannot  be  Greek  and  Jew,  circumcision 
and  uncircumcision,  barbarian,  Scythian,  bondman,  free- 
man; but  Christ  is  all,  and  in  all. — Col.  3:11. 

In  yesterday's  reading  we  saw  the  fundamental  basis  for 
the  larger  self ;  in  today's,  Paul  shows  us  the  essential  condi- 
tion for  its  attainment.  Distinctions  of  race,  of  social  posi- 
tion, even  of  sex,  become  relatively  unimportant  in  Christ — 
that  is,  in  our  becoming  Christian.  When  God's  Spirit  dwells 
in  us,  a  life  is  possible  that  is  superior  to  these  differences. 
They  are  not  non-existent,  but  they  seem  superficial  compared 
with  that  sense  of  deeper  unity  which  comes  from  realities 
disclosed  in  Christ. 

That  any  two  human  beings  are  coequally  children  of  their 
Father  is  a  vastly  more  significant  truth  than  that  one  is  a 
Jew  and  the  other  a  Greek.  Once  catch  a  vision  of  man's 
common  relationship  to  the  one  source,  God,  and  we  see  that 
the  realm  in  which  we  share  is  vastly  larger  than  the  realm 
in  which  we  differ.  In  all  the  mystery  of  our  origin,  in  all 
the  vastness  of  our  resources,  in  all  the  hope  for  life  ahead, 
we  are  conjoined  with  every  other  human  being.  What  in 
comparison  is  the  differing  social  status  of  master  or  slave? 
If  woman  must  be  born  again  in  the  form  of  man  in  order  to 
be  saved,  as  is  held  in  popular  Hinduism,  if  she  is  a  dis- 
tinctly lower  order  of  being  as  in  Africa,  then  of  course 
the  distinction  of  male  and  female  is  enormously  and  far- 
reachingly  significant.  But  if  through  Christ  we  see  the 
reality  of  the  spiritual  oneness  of  man  and  woman,  and  con- 
template their  common  privilege  of  living  the  eternal  life  in 
time  under  the  care  and  by  the  power  of  God,  this  common 
dignity  overshadows  and  ennobles  every  other  thing. 

Sometimes  a  catastrophe  brings  about  this  consciousness 
of  simple  humanity.  When  Robinson  Crusoe  first  saw  the 
man  Friday,  the  fact  that  they  were  fellow-humans  was  more 
dominating  than  color  or  creed.  When  the  earth's  crust 
shakes  and  terror  drives  people  from  their  homes,  the  mem- 
bers of  the  heterogeneous  company  huddled  in  a  place  of 
refuge  are  more  conscious  of  their  common  human  frailty 
before  this  mighty  force  than  they  are  of  old  distinctions  that 
loomed  so  large  in  days  of  safety  when  they  forgot  their  God. 

But  what  the  earthquake  can  do  for  a  night,  Christ  can 
make  an  abiding  attitude.  Fellowship  with  him  gives  a  spiritual 
perspective  that  is  vital  for  all  time.     The  world  must  catch 

4 


CONSCIOUSNESS  OF  LARGER  SELF         [I-4] 

from  him  the  overwhehningly  greater  significance  of  what 
unites  rather  than  of  what  separates  mankind.  Those  indi- 
viduals and  those  nations  who  really  try  to  follow  him  will 
find  amongst  themselves  an  identity  of  interest  and  of  aim 
that  will  command  attention,  to  the  exclusion  or  correction 
of  the  things  which  now  divide. 

Here,  then,  is  a  practical  test  for  every  Christian.  Amid 
race  prejudice  and  national  rivalry,  does  the  deeper  unity 
stand  out  for  us?  Do  we  feel  closer  to  a  Chinese  or  an 
African  who  is  trying  to  be  a  Christian  than  we  do  to  a 
fellow-countryman  who  is  making  no  such  effort?  Can  we 
ever  have  a  league  of  nations  without  a  deep  sense  of  our 
underlying  unity? 

Paul  does  not  underestimate  the  magnitude  of  this  change 
in  point  of  view.  To  him  it  is  a  moral  change  that  can  be 
likened  only  to  a  new  life,  the  putting  on  of  a  new  man. 
Paul  never  would  have  tolerated  two  classes,  Christian  and 
world  Christian.  Becoming  a  Christian  meant  to  him  some- 
thing deep  and  thoroughgoing.  In  these  two  epistles  he 
testifies  to  a  wonderful  change  in  attitude.  I  ask  myself  two 
questions :  Has  there  ever  been  such  a  change  in  my  mental 
attitude?  If  so,  would  I  consider  it,  as  Paul  did,  so  great  an 
evidence  of  God's  working  in  me  that  I  would  write  it  to 
my  friends  as  "good  news"? 

First  Week,  Fourth  Day :  The  Interrelation  of  Peo- 
ples 

But  speaking  truth  in  love,  may  grow  up  in  all  things 
into  him,  who  is  the  head,  even  Christ;  from  whom  all 
the  body  fitly  framed  and  knit  together  through  that 
which  every  joint  supplieth,  according  to  the  working  in 
due  measure  of  each  several  part,  maketh  the  increase 
of  the  body  unto  the  building  up  of  itself  in  love. — Eph. 
4:15,    16. 

That  there  should  be  no  schism  in  the  body;  but  that  the 
members  should  have  the  same  care  one  for  another.  And 
whether  one  member  sufTereth,  all  the  members  suffer 
with  it;  or  one  member  is  honored,  all  the  members  re- 
joice with  it. — I  Cor.  12:25,  26. 

For  none  of  us  liveth  to  himself,  and  none  dieth  to 
himself. — Rom.  14:7. 

That  apart  from  us  they  should  not  be  made  perfect. — 
Heb.  11:40. 


[1-4]  MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

Most  of  these  verses  were  spoken  primarily  with  reference 
to  the  Church  as  an  organization.  Today  they  seem  equally 
applicable  to  the  whole  world.  For  not  only  the  physical  but 
the  mental  seismographs  in  every  land  are  sensitive  to  the 
smallest  shock  at  any  place.  A  pistol  shot  in  a  small  Bohemian 
town  could  set  four-fifths  of  the  world  at  war.  True,  also, 
are  these  verses  if  applied  even  to  things  no  more  profound 
than  the  cross-section  of  the  day  of  a  modern  man.  "When 
he  rises,  a  sponge  is  placed  in  his  hand  by  a  Pacific  Islander, 
a  cake  of  soap  by  a  Frenchman,  a  rough  towel  by  a  Turk. 
His  merino  underwear  he  takes  from  the  hand  of  a  Spaniard, 
his  linen  from  a  Belfast  manufacturer,  his  outer  garments 
from  a  Birmingham  weaver,  his  scarf  from  a  French  silk 
grower,  his  shoes  from  a  Brazilian  grazier.  At  breakfast  his 
cup  of  coffee  is  poured  by  natives  of  Java  and  Arabia ;  his  rolls 
are  passed  by  a  Kansas  farmer,  his  beefsteak  by  a  Texan 
ranchman,  his  orange  by  a  Florida  Negro."'  And  so  on 
through  the  day — a  million  men  and  women  and  children 
have  been  working  for  him;  and  in  return  he  should  add  his 
mite  to  the  common  stock  upon  which  others  draw. 

It  is  not  enough,  however,  merely  to  recognize  these  inter- 
relations. We  nmst  also  see  what  lies  back  of  these  contribu- 
tions to  our  lives.  Our  coal,  our  clothes,  our  ornaments — 
these  things  are  a  part  of  our  system,  are  a  part  of  us.  Many 
of  these  things  are  the  fruit  of  slum  conditions  and  represent, 
not  something  apart,  but  the  reverse  of  what  seems  like  the 
splendid  fabric  of  our  lives.  In  the  graphic  figure  of  H.  G. 
Wells,  "The  wide  rich  tapestry  of  your  lives  comes  through 
on  the  other  side,  stitch  for  stitch,  in  stunted  bodies,  in  chil- 
dren's deaths."  And  what  is  true  in  the  social  and  industrial 
world  holds  true  in  the  international.  In  fact,  Norman  An- 
gell's  "The  Great  Illusion"  holds  as  its  thesis  that  no  people 
can  possibly  benefit  itself  by  conquering,  impoverishing,  or 
even  forcibly  annexing  another  people.  The  other  nation 
also  is  part  of  the  larger  self,  and  we  suffer  with  the  other 
member. 

But  even  if  there  were  no  unsocial  conditions  of  production 
of  which  to  think,  would  we  be  relieved  of  responsibility? 
Can  we  take  from  Rome,  from  Greece,  from  Arabia,  from 
Egypt,  the  very  words  and  numbers  that  we  hourly  use  and 


^GeorgQ  Harr-'s,  "  J/ oral  Evolution,"  p.  36. 

6 


CONSCIOUSNESS  OF  LARGER  SELF         [I-5] 

feel  no  sense  of  obligation  in  return?  Shall  we  accept  from 
Japan  and  China  the  ripe  fruitage  of  their  rare  arts  and  feel 
that  the  whole  debt  has  been  discharged  when  a  mere  money 
recompense  has  been  made?  Something  more  than  the  re- 
moval of  downright  selfishness  is  needed  on  the  part  of  the 
individual  and  the  group  if  class  and  racial  troubles  are  to 
cease.  There  could  still  remain  that  preoccupation  with  one's 
more  narrow  range  of  interests  that  obliterates  all  sense  of 
solidarit3^  What  we  need  is  a  consciousness  alive  to  the 
significance  of  a  membership  one  with  the  other.  We  should 
not  need  another  war  to  burn  into  us  the  awful  results  of 
attempting  to  live  unto  ourselves  alone. 

Let  us,  on  the  other  hand,  not  fail  to  draw  inspiration  for 
resourceful  constructive  work  from  a  vivid  realization  of  our 
interrelationships.  For  every  social  reformer,  every  religious 
worker,  may  know  that  each  victory  that  he  wins  will  benefit 
not  merely  those  whose  interests  he  immediately  seeks  to 
serve,  but  also  his  awakening  fellow-members  the  world 
around.  So  real  and  intricate  are  our  interrelations  that  the 
removal  of  unchristian  principles  from  the  social  institutions 
of  any  land  makes  the  progress  of  every  other  land  just  so 
much  more  possible.  If  we  long  that  God's  will  should  be 
done  anywhere,  it  is  wise  and  reasonable  to  keep  in  mind  the 
whole,  to  work  and  pray  that  "thy  will  be  done  on  earth." 

First  Week,   Fifth   Day:   God's    Kindergarten   for 
Eternity 

For  I  will  not  dare  to  speak  of  any  things  save  those 
which  Christ  wrought  through  me,  for  the  obedience  of 
the  Gentiles,  by  word  and  deed,  in  the  power  of  signs  and 
wonders,  in  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  so  that  from 
Jerusalem,  and  round  about  even  unto  Illyricum,  I  have 
fully  preached  the  gospel  of  Christ.  ... 

Wherefore  also  I  was  hindered  these  many  times  from 
coming  to  you:  but  now,  having  no  more  any  place  in 
these  regions,  and  having  these  many  years  a  longing 
to  come  unto  you,  whensoever  I  go  unto  Spain. — Rom. 
15: 18,    19,   22-24a. 

And  they  went  through  the  region  of  Phrygia  and 
Galatia,  having  been  forbidden  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
speak  the  word  in  Asia;  and  when  they  were  come  over 
against  Mysia,  they  assayed  to  go  into  Bithynia;  and  the 
Spirit  of  J*^sus  suffered  them  not;  and  passing  by  Mysia, 


[1-5]  MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

they  came  down  to  Troas.  And  a  vision  appeared  to 
Paul  in  the  night:  There  was  a  man  of  Macedonia  stand- 
ing, beseeching  him,  and  saying,  Come  over  into  Macedo- 
nia, and  help  us.  And  when  he  had  seen  the  vision, 
straightway  we  sought  to  go  forth  into  Macedonia,  con- 
cluding that  God  had  called  us  to  preach  the  gospel 
unto  them. — Acts  i6:6-io. 

Every  night  as  we  look  up  at  Orion  or  the  Pleiades  God 
is  encouraging  us  to  live  more  magnificent,  inclusive  lives. 
Put  yourself  out  in  the  universe  and  look  back  upon  the  tiny, 
half-cooled  orb  we  call  the  earth.  Here  is  where  God  has  set 
us  for  a  few  days  to  train  us  for  eternity.  A  few  continents, 
a  few  peoples,  myriads  of  stars  to  draw  us  on — such  is  our 
kindergarten. 

Notice  how  Paul  had  learned  this  lesson.  The  book  of 
Acts  deals  with  great  sweeps  of  geography.  Along  the  great 
Roman  roads,  through  the  great  centers  of  government,  Paul 
not  only  thought  but  went.  Troas  was  Paul's  door  to  Europe 
— Rome  and  Spain  lay  on  ahead.  It  was  because  Paul  could 
think  in  the  world  terms  of  his  time  that  the  first  great  ex- 
pansion of  the  Kingdom  was  made  possible.  Into  the  range 
of  his  thinking  and  sympathy  had  come  his  whole  world. 
Who  does  not  feel  that  Paul  had  already  graduated  into  an 
ampler  school? 

Francis  Xavier  was  another  who  had  learned  to  grasp  a 
world.  He  was  sent  forth  by  Loyola  with  the  charge,  "Go  set 
the  world  on  fire,"  and  in  ten  crowded  years  he  gave  his  mes- 
sage in  India,  Malacca,  Ceylon,  Cochin,  Japan.  When,  finally, 
his  life  burnt  out  at  the  gate  of  China,  he  was  planning  to 
preach  Christ  through  that  empire,  and  to  evangelize  Europe 
by  way  of  Siberia.  "Eternity  only,  Francis,  is  sufficient  for 
such  a  heart  as  yours,"  wrote  his  master,  Loyola,  "the  king- 
dom of  glory  alone  is  worthy  of  it." 

The  question  for  us  is  whether  we,  with  the  immensely 
increased  resources  at  our  command,  have  left  the  primary 
grade  with  reference  to  this  little  ball  on  which  we  live.  Have 
we  Paul's  grasp  of  facts?  Can  we,  like  him,  think  in  conti- 
nents? Many  of  us  have  but  begun  to  learn  this  first  lesson 
for  world  citizenship — mere  expansiveness  of  sympathy. 
America  has  a  greater  challenge  than  any  other  nation  to 
leave  the  provincial  and  to  develop  the  international  mind. 
If  the  president  of  the  National  City  Bank  can  declare  that 

8 


CONSCIOUSNESS  OF  LARGER  SELF         [1-6] 

the  banker  of  the  future  must  be  an  international  thinker, 
how  much  more  must  the  Church  rear  up  Christians  who  can 
think  in  world  terms.  In  the  New  York  subway  an  adver- 
tisement of  chewing  gum  has  actually  been  pictured  against 
a  background  of  the  globe;  and  surely  the  Christian,  because 
of  his  being  such,  should  be  able  to  think  as  far  around  the 
world  as  South  Dakota  wheat  is  carried.  A  world-encircling 
purpose  and  vision  is  needed  right  through  our  church  mem- 
bership. Can  you  think  beyond  the  bounds  of  your  own 
community,  or  state,  or  nation?  Are  you  accustoming  your- 
self to  think  in  world  terms? 

One  must  make  the  start  and  live  with  it  daily,  for  one 
does  not  pass  from  parochial  to  world  thought  over  night. 
John  Wesley  had  it  when  he  spoke  of  the  world  as  his  parish. 
William  Lloyd  had  it  when  he  said,  "My  country  is  the  world ; 
my  countrymen  the  inhabitants  of  it."  The  shoemaker,  William 
Carey,  had  overcome  provincialism  when,  in  reading  the  life 
of  David  Brainerd,  he  could  not  but  ask,  "If  God  can  do 
such  things  for  the  Indians  of  America,  why  not  for  the 
pagans  of  India?"  Alexander  Mackay  became  what  he  was 
to  Uganda  because  a  father  knew  how  to  trace  the  journeys 
of  Livingstone  on  a  map  before  the  boy  and  because  a 
mother's  heart  had  thrilled  to  tales  of  missionary  heroism. 
Today  a  band  of  twenty-five  thousand  American,  British,  and 
continental  missionaries  are  working  at  a  world  problem. 
Modern  missions  have  caught  the  vision  of  the  world  and 
are  at  work  for  mankind.  Have  you  caught  it?  Are  you 
growing  more  able  day  by  day  to  pray  "Thy  kingdom  come" 
with  new  content  not  only  in  the  quality  but  in  the  expansive- 
ness  of  that  conception?  The  modern  mind  and  heart  and 
conscience  must  not  have  frontiers. 

First  Week,  Sixth  Day :  Self-Identification  with  the 
Larger  Group 

And  Moses  returned  unto  Jehovah,  and  said,  O,  this 
people  have  sinned  a  great  sin,  and  have  made  them  gods 
of  gold.  Yet  now,  if  thou  wilt  forgive  their  sin — ;  and 
if  not,  blot  me,  I  pray  thee,  out  of  thy  book  which  thou 
hast  written. — Exodus  32:31,  32. 

I  say  the  truth  in  Christ,  I  lie  not,  my  conscience  bear- 
ing witness  with  me  in  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  I  have  great 
sorrow  and  unceasing  pain  in  my  heart.    For  I  could  wish 

9 


[1-6]  MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

that  I  myself  were  anathema  from  Christ  for  my  brethren's 
sake,  my  kinsmen  according  to  the  flesh:  who  are  Israel- 
ites; whose  is  the  adoption,  and  the  glory,  and  the 
covenants,  and  the  giving  of  the  law,  and  the  service  of 
God,  and  the  promises;  whose  are  the  fathers,  and  of 
whom  is  Christ  as  concerning  the  flesh,  who  is  over  all, 
God  blessed  for   ever.     Amen. — Rom.  9:  1-5. 

In  these  burning  words  Moses  and  Paul  reveal  the  com- 
pleteness of  their  identification  with  the  larger  group  about 
them.  Is  anything  like  such  attainment  possible  for  us?  Did 
that  young  lieutenant  have  it  when  a  shell  fell,  about  to 
explode,  amongst  the  little  group  for  which  he  was  responsi- 
ble, and  he  impulsively  threw  himself  upon  it? 

Some  attain  this  identification  through  patriotism.  "What 
do  I  want  with  money  if  my  country  fails?  If  Russia  loses, 
I  lose ;  if  Russia  wins,  I  win."  So  spoke  General  Tatisheff, 
an  out-and-out  Christian  patriot,  in  answer  to  his  friends  who 
thought  him  foolish  to  sell  all  his  property  that  the  proceeds 
might  be  used  by  the  Government. 

Some  approach  it  through  gratitude,  as  did  a  patient  in 
South  China.  Having  recovered  from  a  severe  sickness  in 
the  mission  hospital,  he  showed  how  far  his  old  exclusiveness 
had  been  changed  by  presenting  to  his  ward  a  handsome  tablet, 
bearing  characters  which  signified,  "China  with  outsiders  one 
large  family." 

Through  devoted  response  to  Africa's  deepest  need,  Francois 
Coillard  came  still  closer  to  self-identification  with  the  larger 
group  when,  in  1898,  on  his  third  journey  to  that  land,  he 
said,  "I  am  departing  for  the  third  time  to  Africa — poor 
Africa !  Ah,  if  one  could  only  give  oneself  to  her  until  the 
last  hour  of  one's  life!" 

On  the  other  hand,  how  easy  it  is  to  miss  the  attainment 
of  the  larger  self,  even  where  failure  is  least  expected.  The 
missionary,  having  responded  to  a  world  call,  may  find  him- 
self so  engrossed  with  the  detailed  routine  of  an  Indian  dis- 
trict that  all  interest  in  the  progress  of  the  Kingdom  in  other 
lands  is  crowded  out.  He  may  find  himself  with  less  knowl- 
edge of  world-wide  missions  than  when  he  was  at  home. 
A  president  of  a  foreign  missionary  society  can  actually  be 
so  enthusiastic  over  the  foreign  aspects  of  the  work  that  she 
is  vexed  when  the  prayer-book  for  home  missions  is  bound 
up  v/ith  that  for  foreign  missions ;  or  chafes  when  the  Negro, 

10 


CONSCIOUSNESS  OF  LARGER  SELF         [I-7] 

or  the  Mormon,  or  the  immigrant  question  comes  up  for  dis- 
cussion. It  is  possible  to  realize  the  far-off,  and  yet  quite 
ignore  the  near-by  self.  Whenever  we  identify  "Christen- 
dom" with  the  Western  nations  only,  or  confine  "heathendom" 
to  the  Orient  we  have  failed. 

Perhaps  nowhere  more  than  in  prayer  do  we  see  the  meager- 
ness  of  the  self  we  have  attained.  "Bless  me  and  my  wife, 
my  son  John  and  his  wife,  us  four  and  no  more,"  is  the  classic 
embodiment  of  the  microscopic  self.  On  the  other  hand,  we 
find  a  beautiful  example  of  an  expanding  self  in  the  simple 
Panjabi  Christian,  Gulu,  Once  a  desperate  character  amongst 
the  outcastes,  he  is  now  known  as  one  of  God's  great  inter- 
cessors. One  day  Gulu  came  to  his  American  friend  and 
said :  "Sahib,  teach  me  some  geography."  "Why,  Gulu,  what 
do  you  want  with  geography  at  your  age?"  "Sahib,  I  wish 
to  study  geography  so  that  I  may  know  more  about  which 
to  pray."  Shall  not  we  examine  our  prayer  life — that  for 
which  we  care  enough  to  intercede — as  one  index  of  our 
growth  ? 

First  Week,  Seventh  Day:  A  Prayer  for  Human 
Solidarity 

As  thou  didst  send  me  into  the  world,  even  so  sent  I 
them  into  the  world.  And  for  their  sakes  I  sanctify  my- 
self, that  they  themselves  also  may  be  sanctified  in  truth. 
Neither  for  these  only  do  I  pray,  but  for  them  also  that 
believe  on  me  through  their  word;  that  they  may  all  be 
one;  even  as  thou,  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that 
they  also  may  be  in  us:  that  the  world  may  believe  that 
thou  didst  send  me.  And  the  glory  which  thou  hast  given 
me  I  have  given  unto  them;  that  they  may  be  one,  even 
as  we  are  one;  I  in  them,  and  thou  in  me,  that  they  may 
be  perfected  into  one;  that  the  world  may  know  that 
thou  didst  send  me,  and  lovedst  them,  even  as  thou  lovedst 
me. — John   17:18-23. 

We  often  read  these  words  with  no  larger  application  in 
mind  than  the  abolition  of  lamented  denominational  differ- 
ences. The  union  of  such  Christian  sects  as  have  come 
within  our  range  is  as  far  as  our  longing  goes  with  this 
prayer  of  Christ's.  Many  of  us  do  not  include  in  conscious 
thought    in    connection    with   these   verses    such    great    com- 

II 


II-c]  MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

munions  as  the  Roman  Catholic,  the  Greek  Orthodox,  and  the 
Syrian  Church  in  India. 

But  can  any  interpretation  of  these  words  be  complete 
that  confines  its  thought  to  European  man,  or  Anglo-Saxon 
man,  or  even  to  white  man?  When  between  the  Western  and 
the  Eastern,  barriers  fall  down,  and  each  sees  that  he  cannot 
be  the  man  he  ought  to  be  without  the  other ;  when  "for  their 
sakes"  we  sanctify  ourselves,  and  include  in  the  word,  "their," 
other  peoples  as  well  as  other  individuals ;  when  reciprocity, 
mutuality,  and  true  oneness  mark  interracial  relationships,  will 
not  this  go  far  toward  answering  Christ's  prayer  for  evidence, 
in  order  "that  the  world  may  believe  that  thou  didst  send  me"? 

In  no  place  do  we  have  the  social  character  of  personality 
more  vividly  brought  out  than  here.  Our  social  environment 
is  one  that  includes  not  only  our  closer  circle  but  the  whole 
world  of  peoples  and  God  himself.  Anything  that  makes  for 
isolation,  makes  for  poverty  of  personality. 

How  is  this  potential  solidarity  of  all  peoples  and  of  man- 
kind with  God  to  be  made  actual  ?  When  "the  love  wherewith 
thou  lovedst  me  may  be  in  them,  and  I  in  them."  It  is  love  as 
inspired  by  Christ  that  binds  together. 

COMMENT  FOR  THE  WEEK 
I 

If  a  child  is  asked  to  tell  us  where  his  "self"  is,  he  will 
probably  point  to  his  body.  In  fact,  in  answer  to  the  ques- 
tion as  to  what  constitutes  the  self  many  of  us  might  naively 
reply  that  it  is  that  of  which  a  photograph  can  be  taken.  We 
say,  "That  is  I,"  pointing  toward  the  picture  or  to  our  reflec- 
tion in  the  mirror.  But  n,o  man  can  be  wholly  found  between 
his  hat  and  his  boots.  And  yet  some  of  us  keep  on  thinking 
of  the  self  as  in  some  way  enclosed  within  one's  skin.  If 
we  have  not  stopped  to  reflect,  this  conception  of  an  epider- 
mal self  may  never  be  displaced. 

Every  new  interest,  Iwzvever,  is  an  addition  to  one's  self. 
Each  nezv  activity,  each  new  enterprise  that  calls  forth  our 
cooperation  constitutes  an  expansion  of  the  self.  If  Red  Cross 
work  really  moves  me,  it  actually  becomes  a  factor  in  my 
self.  If  my  impulses  find  satisfaction  in  helping  Baillie  save 
the  Yangtze  valley  by  reforesting  Pearl  Mountain,  then  this 
interest,  by  very  virtue  of  this  fact,  becomes  a  part  of  my  ego. 

12 


CONSCIOUSNESS  OF  LARGER  SELF         [I-c] 

If  I  have  accustomed  myself  to  act  in  such  ways  that  the 
recital  of  Belgian  or  Armenian  misery  makes  me  restless 
until  I  go  forth  in  some  sort  of  aid,  then  this  interest  in  relief 
is  a  part  of  myself.  On  the  other  hand,  if  what  really  moves 
me  is  the  turning  of  my  tens  of  dollars  into  hundreds  and 
my  hundreds  into  thousands,  then  that  interest  is  the  measure 
of  myself.  Just  because  my  powers  find  satisfaction  in  these 
ends  or  purposes  they  comprise  a  part  of  the  "me."  Psycho- 
logically then,  the  self  is  as  wide  and  large  or  as  small  and 
narrow  as  one's  interests. 

Now  although  in  reality  the  self  is  thus  expanded,  there  is 
a  tendency  in  all  of  us  to  identify  the  self  zvith  a  part  only 
of  its  whole  range.  Of  necessity  most  of  our  activities  are 
narrowed  down  to  a  pretty  small  range.  There  is  the  daily 
round  of  dressing,  breakfasting,  and  securing  the  means  for 
shelter  and  the  sustenance  of  life.  Just  because  we  generally 
are  acting  for  this. more  narrow  and  limited  range  of  self, 
we  tend  to  identify  the  self  with  these  habitual  interests.  For 
the  law  of  habit  is  at  work  in  all  of  us.  Since  most  of  our 
activities  center  about  a  narrow  range  of  personal  interests, 
we  overlook  the  fact  that  we  are  really  larger — or  may  be 
larger — than  this  realm.  One  may  be  interested  in  buying 
a  new  automobile  for  one's  family  or  in  welfare  work  in  the 
slums,  but  in  either  case  it  is  the  self  going  out  to  a  particular 
object.  One  may  aspire  to  securing  a  half-pint  bottle  of  cream 
each  morning  for  one's  oatmeal,  or  may  go  out  to  Higginbot- 
tom's  agricultural  work  for  India's  farmers.  It  is  the  self, 
however,  that  goes  forth  in  either  case.  The  real  question 
is  as  to  the  kind  of  self  you  have. 

II 

It  will  help  us  to  answer  this  question  if  we  catch  the  real 
significance  of  such  zvords  as  "selfish"  and  "unselfish."  We 
use  them  to  describe  the  behavior  of  men.  But  strictly  speak- 
ing, if  what  we  have  just  said  is  true,  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  absolute  selflessness.  It  is  only  because  people  have  formed 
the  habit  of  going  forth  to  a  rather  narrow  range  of  interests 
that  this  more  narrow  range  prevents  their  full  conception 
of  what  constitutes  the  self,  so  that  any  interest  outside  this 
range  is  said  to  be  wn-selfish.  To  the  hard  familiar  round 
to  which  habitual  response  is  made,  the  word  "selfish"  is 
applied.     Similarly  from  this  point  of  view  it  is  possible  to 

13 


[I-c]  MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

say  that  there  is  really  no  such  thing  as  absolute  self-denial. 
The  conception  underlying  its  use  implies  a  limitation  of  the 
self  to  the  more  personal  immediate  interests.  If  we  were 
not  in  the  habit  of  having  a  petty  expression  of  ourselves, 
the  word  never  would  have  been  used. 

What  then  is  the  real  significance  lying  back  of  such  words 
as  "unselfish"  and  "self-denial"?  Of  course  they  have  their 
value  in  common  speech,  but  one  should  realize  the  confusion 
into  which  they  may  lead  one's  thinking.  "Unselfishness"  does 
not  mean  lack  of  self,  for  all  that  we  do  must  be  in  response 
to  some  satisfaction  our  self  gets  in  the  act,  but  it  refers  to 
the  kind  of  self  that  gets  the  satisfaction;  it  signifies  a  truer 
sense  of  values.  "Selfish"  is  used  to  describe  a  person  who 
centers  on  only  a  part  of  his  whole  possible  self  and  who  mani- 
festly works  for  this  smaller  so-called  self.  What  makes 
selfishness  selfish  is  not  that  certain  activities  or  interests 
secure  the  welfare  of  the  self,  but  that  the  self  that  is  served 
is  a  small  and  narrow  self  in  comparison  with  what  it  might 
be. 

What  has  just  been  said  enables  us  to  realize  that  there 
is  a  perfectly  natural  psychological  reason  why  we  are  rather 
vexed  to  have  the  cause  of  child  labor,  or  the  mountain 
whites,  or  the  Mormons,  or  a  school  in  Africa  brought  before 
us.  Such  things  make  demands  not  only  upon  our  pocket- 
books,  but  primarily  upon  our  capacity  for  expanding  our 
range  of  interests.  They  may  easily  require  a  readjustment 
of  what  constitutes  our  self.  These  causes  may  involve  the 
renouncing  of  the  old  self  and  making  a  new  adjustment  in 
the  light  of  the  new  possibilities  of  activity.  Now  the  break- 
ing of  any  habit  is  more  or  less  unpleasant.  We  tend,  there- 
fore, to  resist  any  ideal  expansion  of  the  self  beyond  the 
customary  range.  If  it  requires  rather  unpleasant  concentra- 
tion and  efifort  to  acquire  a  new  stroke  in  swimming  or  to 
learn  tennis  at  fifty,  it  is  just  as  natural  that  there  should 
be  something  taxing  about  altering  the  habitual  trend  of  our 
interests.  If  you  are  not  used  to  such  readjustments,  if  you 
have  not  kept  yourself  flexible  through  habitual  response 
to  public  and  national  and  international  spirit,  such  rearrange- 
ments are  likely  to  be  very  trying. 

The  process  of  readjustment  is  the  only  kind  of  self- 
renunciation  that  is  moral.  Renunciation  is  not  a  dying  to 
the  real  self  but  only  to  the  sin  of  narrowness.     It  is  really 

14 


CONSCIOUSNESS  OF  LARGER  SELF         [I-c] 

an  enlargement  of  the  self — a  realignment,  with  the  new  data 
taken  into  consideration.  But  the  ideal  world  citizen  is  alive 
to  the  demand  for  a  constant  readjustment  of  the  self.  In 
each  case  of  choice  the  decision  ought  to  be  for  the  highest 
largest  purpose  that  can  be  visioned.  This  may  mean  pro- 
ceeding with  activities  that  will  secure  you  a  college  educa- 
tion, or  will  make  the  comfort  of  your  wife  and  family  secure. 
Or  it  may  mean  launching  out  for  a  bank  position  in  South 
America  or  a  big  task  under  some  mission  board  in  China. 
Whether  the  decision  is  selfish  or  unselfish  depends  on  whether 
you  have  enlarged  the  circle  of  your  real  self  to  include  those 
other  wider  demands  upon  your  consideration,  and  whether 
you  act  for  the  common  good  of  this  new  circle.  The  obliga- 
tion is  not  for  any  particular  act,  whether  geographically  near 
or  far,  but  for  an  expanding  self  which  will  in  each  new 
enlargement  act  on  the  highest  purpose  that  can  express  the 
greater  self. 

From  our  daily  study  this  week  we  want  to  catch  the  duty 
and  the  joy  of  expansion.  For  we  must  be  like  God  in  this 
as  well  as  in  other  respects.  He  did  not  merely  love,  but 
he  loved  "the  world" — the  largest  possible  circle  as  far  as 
we  are  concerned.  "Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth"  Jesus  said 
— not  merely  of  Palestine.  "Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world" — 
not  merely  of  your  small  circle.  We  rejoice  to  think  that 
infinite  reaches  are  ahead  of  us;  that  God  has  set  no  limit 
to  the  development  of  this  capacity  of  going  out  to  larger 
and  larger  ranges  of  interests  and  of  entering  into  wider 
and  wider  relations  with  human  beings.  Part  of  the  process 
of  becoming  perfect  as  he  is  perfect  is  to  attain  range  of 
love  as  well  as  quality  of  love.  If  any  man  would  save  his 
life,  that  is,  if  any  one  is  going  to  hold  on  to  his  small 
self  and  try  to  wall  in  what  he  is  at  any  point  in  his  de- 
velopment, then  Christ  says  he  will  lose  the  only  thing  that 
can  be  called  life.  But  if  any  man  will  lose  his  self — if  any 
man  for  Christ's  sake  will  break  through  the  crust  that 
habit  is  ever  forming  about  a  given  self,  he  will  find  a  newer, 
richer,  larger  self — he  v/ill  save  his  life. 

The  attainment  of  the  larger  self  should  therefore  be  a 
matter  of  immense  importance  to  everyone.  It  is  a  part  of 
the  saved  life.  One  may  not  sit  lightly  back  and  say  that 
he  has  no  interest  in  the  world  outreach  of  his  church,  any 
more  than  he  may   say   lightly  that  he   is   not   interested   in 

15 


[I-c]  MARKS  OF  A  V/ORLD  CHRISTIAN 

becoming  holy,  or  righteous,  or  loving.  Even  to  be  pre- 
occupied with  one's  own  affairs  to  such  an  extent  that  one 
is  oblivious  to  the  needs  of  others,  or  to  be  too  indolent  to 
conceive  or  to  strive  for  a  larger  self,  is  a  serious  matter — 
it  is  to  miss  the  goal !  A  good  many  people  in  our  churches 
who  refuse  to  think  of  the  needs  of  foreign  lands,  and  who 
have  never  learned  to  go  out  in  prayer  and  gift  and  service 
for  them,  can  honestly  say  that  they  are  not  consciously 
acting  on  what  the  world  calls  self-seeking  motives.  But 
nevertheless  their  self  is  smaller  and  less  rich  than  it  might 
be.  Interests  are  the  measure  of  the  self,  and  the  question 
at  stake  in  this  first  standard  for  world  service  is  the  kind 
of  self  you  are  building  up. 

Ill 

Let  us  enter  into  the  appreciation  of  the  far-reaching  com- 
plexity of  the  self  from  another  angle.  We  are  all  impressed 
with  the  extent  to  which  the  nineteenth  century  has  be- 
queathed to  the  twentieth  a  problem  of  interrelationships 
hitherto  unknown  in  the  history  of  the  world.  The  War 
emphatically  reveals  the  interlacing  of  the  races :  Chinese 
Christians  from  America  are  sent  to  France  to  minister  to 
Chinese  laborers  there ;  purdah  women  in  India  knit  for 
their  soldiers  in  Europe;  every  time  we  put  a  piece  of  white 
bread  to  our  lips  we  are  reminded  that  the  fate  of  the  world 
for  a  century  ahead  lies  in  no  small  measure  in  just  such 
acts.  We  tried,  at  first,  to  go  our  way,  with  the  idea  that 
the  War  did  not  concern  us.  But  such  a  course  was  im- 
possible. 

Even  before  the  War  thoughtful  minds  were  noting  the 
increasing  interdependence  of  nations.  They  saw  the  stream 
of  student  life  flowing  from  every  land  toward  the  great 
centers  of  Western  learning.  Hookworm  was  found  to  pre- 
vail all  round  the  world;  and  its  eradication  must  include 
the  planet.  Both  the  tares  and  the  wheat  of  one  field  pass 
over  into  the  next,  for  thistles  as  well  as  maple  seeds  have 
wings.  So,  too,  in  child  philanthropy  the  mill  conditions  of 
Japan  and  China  must  be  considered,  as  well  as  those  of 
America  and  England.  The  thinking  and  the  acting  of  a 
world  are  reported  to  our  doors  each  morning  for  a  mere 
pittance.  Great  human  causes  like  the  woman's  movement 
and  the  spirit  of  democracy  are  surging  through  the  world, 

i6 


CONSCIOUSNESS  OF  LARGER  SELF         [I-c] 

calling  for  a  new  breadth  of  vision  and  depth  of  wisdom. 
There  are  no  longer  any  foreign  nations — there  are  those 
with  different  languages  and  customs,  but  they  are  all  right 
at  our  door.  No  longer  do  we  speak  of  sundering  seas ;  the 
oceans  have  become  a  bond.  Inextricably  linked  up  are  we 
with  a  world  society  of  immeasurable  intricacy,  complexity, 
and  pervasiveness. 

IV 

But  what  has  this  to  do  with  me?  How  is  the  self  which 
I  identify  with  my  own  individuality  concerned  in  this  move- 
ment? Much  every  way.  Let  us  therefore  think  further 
about  this  self  and  see  what  it  really  signifies. 

On  the  one  hand  there  is  an  extreme  individualistic  con- 
ception of  society.  Suppose  we  have  a  stone  wall  before  us. 
Can  we,  by  way  of  analogy,  use  the  stones  of  different  shapes 
and  sizes  to  represent  the  varied  individuals  about  us?  And 
in  like  manner  may  we  take  the  wall  to  represent  society? 
Without  doubt  we  have  a  certain  consciousness  of  separate- 
ness  and  of  freedom  of  will  and  with  this  comes  the  feeling 
of  personal  responsibility.  From  this  point  of  view  we  do 
seem  almost  as  separate  one  from  the  other  as  those  stones 
in  the  wall.  In  this  mood  we  may  grant  that  an  individual 
may  submerge  and  lose  himself  in  a  crowd,  yet  we  are  apt 
to  think  of  this  same  individual  as  emerging  from  the  crowd 
to  live  a  life  of  reason  by  himself.  With  the  stone-wall 
theory  of  society,  salvation  is  as  simple  as  the  rescue  of  indi- 
viduals, and  evangelism  needs  no  other  method  than  an  appeal 
for  a  change  of  will.  Furthermore,  he  who  goes  forth  to 
world  service  may  imagine  that  he  can  transfer  his  "self"  with 
more  or  less  completeness  from  one  social  group  in  America 
to  a  place  in  some  distant  society,  just  as  a  stone  might  be 
taken  from  this  wall  and  be  put  more  or  less  unchanged  into 
some  structure  in  a  foreign  land. 


But  my  "self"  is  not  done  up  in  a  little  bundle  which  ends 
with  my  finger-tips  and  which  can  be  removed  from  place 
to  place  with  more  or  less  completeness,  as  a  brick  might  be 
transferred.  We  are  seeing  more  clearly  than  ever  the  social 
character  of  Christianity.     Many  a  one  who  goes  as  a  mis- 

17 


[I-c]  MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

sionary  to  a  foreign  land  has  had  this  impressed  upon  him. 
Not  infrequently  such  ambassadors  are  rudely  awakened  to 
the  fact  that  the  Christianity  they  had  come  to  give  was  not 
wholly  in  themselves ;  that  what  had  sustained  them  and 
made  them  what  they  were  at  home  was  the  uplifting  influ- 
ence of  friends,  associations,  the  whole  church  connection, 
and  the  general  Christian  environment  in  which  they  were 
submerged;  that  apart  from  this  larger  self  they  had  less 
of  the  real  thing  in  them  than  they  had  supposed.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  every  person  who  goes  abroad  commits 
partial  suicide  in  the  limited  sense  that  he  has  to  some  extent 
broken  up  the  old  self  and  left  part  of  it  behind. 

Social  workers  especially  emphasize  this  aspect  of  the  com- 
plexity of  the  self.  They  see  so  plainly  the  effects  of  the 
pressure  of  the  great  social  forces  on  the  individual  that 
some  are  wrongly  led  into  a  kind  of  social  fatalism.  The 
individual  seems  to  them  to  be  merely  the  resultant  of  the 
ever-present  social  forces,  amidst  which  he  lives. 

Salvation  is  turned  over  to  this  social  pressure  and  the 
individual  is  relieved  of  responsibility  for  exercising  his  will. 
From  this  standpoint  the  individual  is  not  a  stone  in  a  wall 
but  a  point  in  a  mesh — a  network — binding  him  inextricably 
with  all  the  human  and  material  environment  about  him,  that 
is,  a  center  of  relationships.  We  might  call  this  the  "net- 
work," as  over  against  the  "stone-wall"  view  of  society. 

VI 

Now  each  of  these  points  of  view  is  partially  right  and 
partially  wrong — right  in  that  it  truly  represents  life  from 
one  particular  point  of  view ;  but  wrong  when  it  sets  up  its 
aspect  of  life  as  a  picture  of  the  whole.  For  human  life, 
like  an  ellipse,  must  be  regarded  from  two  foci.  From  one 
pole  of  the  ellipse  human  life  does  seem  to  have  its  separate 
individual  aspect.  But  this  must  be  recognized  as  not  the 
whole  truth,  but  an  abstraction  from  the  whole.  There  is 
no  such  thing  as  an  absolutely  separate  individual  in  the 
strict  sense.  There  is  only  an  individual  aspect  of  the  fact 
of  life.  The  other  pole  of  the  ellipse  gives  us  the  social 
point  of  view,  and  shows  us  how  interrelated  each  part  of 
society  is  with  other  parts.  The  world  servant  will  be  alive 
to  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  both  these  poles.  But 
it  is  the  second  aspect  upon  which  we  are  centering  thought 

i8 


CONSCIOUSNESS  OF  LARGER  SELF         [I-c] 

in  this  chapter — the  fact  of  the  larger  social  self,  zvhich  exists 
in  its  ramifying  interrelations  whether  we  are  conscious  of 
it  or  not.  We  are  not  going  to  think  of  ourselves,  then,  as 
so  many  separate  matches  in  a  match-box.  Our  consciousness 
will  not  be  of  a  self  as  a  separate,  detached,  more  or  less 
fixed  entity,  which  may  or  may  not  take  on  college,  com- 
munity, or  world  interests.  One  comes  to  realize  that  the 
entering  or  not  upon  these  new  interests  determines  the  kind 
of  self  he  is  to  be. 

VII 

For  the  individual  this  conception  of  the  larger  self  is  a 
challenge  to  become  cosmo-Christian,  to  pass  from  the  class 
of  spiritual  defectives.  Much  as  the  habit  of  world  thought 
has  been  developed  since  1914,  we  must  still  more  acquire 
a  consciousness  of  humanity.  The  activities  of  some  people 
take  place  in  such  a  narrow  circle  that  they  are  not  able, 
except  in  their  highest  moments,  to  get  beyond  its  narrow 
confines.  There  is  a  tendency  for  such  to  respond  as  did 
that  African,  who,  called  to  help  a  man  whose  boat  was 
sinking  and  who  could  not  swim,  stood  calmly  on  the  river 
bank,  and  said :  "He  is  not  of  my  village." 

On  the  social  side  it  is  a  call  to  search  out  what  men  have 
in  common  and  to  work  unfailingly  against  whatever  un- 
necessarily divides  them.  It  will  enlist  him  in  breaking 
down  the  barriers  of  social  stratification  which  threaten  the 
unity  of  the  human  kind.  He  will  not  rest  in  mere  negatives 
such  as  showing  the  lamentable  effects  of  war,  or  mere 
a!voidance  of  those  things  v/hich  lead  to  international  strife, 
but  there  will  be  a  positive  emphasis  on  what  draws  people 
together  in  objective  endeavor  irrespective  of  national  boun- 
daries. He  will  see  that  he  cannot  be  Christian  in  the  full 
sense  until  this  larger  self  is  Christianized — until  the  whole 
social  order  is  Christianized.  He  will  see  that  he  has  cor- 
porate as  well  as  merely  individual  responsibilities.  On  the 
psychological  side,  the  conception  of  the  larger  self  will  be 
a  summons  to  each  one  to  acquire  a  disposition  of  the  mind 
which  will  be  hospitable  in  the  face  of  each  new  demand 
on  one's  interests.  It  is  a  call  to  the  international  heart  and 
mind.  As  the  complexity  of  our  relationships  becomes  more 
involved,  each  generation  increasingly  needs  individuals  who 
have  visioned  with  insight  and  tenacity  that  we  are  members 

19 


[I-c]  MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

one  of  another,  and  recognize  the  world  sweep  of  the  obliga- 
tions of  discipleship. 

For  the  Church  it  is  a  challenge  to  provide  a  gospel  suited, 
not  simply  to  the  individual,  but  to  that  larger  social  life 
which,  in  these  modern  times,  one  may  well  claim  is  the  most 
obtrusive  aspect  of  life  as  he  actually  has  to  live  it.  The 
Church  must  realize  that  many  will  be  testing  it  by  the  solu- 
tions which  it  can  bring  to  problems  of  national  and  inter- 
national relations.  If  the  Church  is  at  all  to  fulfil  the  possi- 
bilities of  the  larger  self,  she  must  assert  the  lordship  of 
Christ  not  only  over  the  individual  but  also  over  the  cor- 
porate relations  of  men  and  women.  This  lordship  must 
be  manifested  at  the  back  doors  of  houses,  in  industry,  in 
business,  in  politics,  in  international  relations.  So  insistent 
are  the  problems  of  the  larger  social  self,  that,  unless  the 
Church  unfolds  the  application  of  Christianity  to  these  phases 
of  our  lives  and  gives  to  the  solution  a  sanctity  and  spirit 
of  her  own,  she  need  not  be  surprised  if  the  modern  man 
turns  from  her.  The  larger  self  must  be  evangelized  and 
saved. 

The  foreign  missionary  will  feel  that  he  is  enabling  his 
home  constituency  to  realize  their  larger  selves  by  adminis- 
tering their  work  abroad.  Missionary  societies  are  the  organ- 
izations through  which  the  broader  self-realization  is  made 
possible.  It  is  indeed  an  inspiring  thing  to  think  of  25,000 
Protestant  missionaries,  off  in  their  thousands  of  villages 
or  city  communities,  inculcating  principles  that  lie  at  the 
basis  of  all  Christian  democracy  and  all  permanent  inter- 
national good  will. 

For  peoples  of  other  lands  this  standard  of  world  citizen- 
ship will,  for  example,  lead  them  to  approach  their  problems 
of  sanitation  not  simply  for  their  own  local  good.  They  v/ill 
be  led  to  see  that  public  hygiene  is  a  problem  of  international 
duty,  that  the  mastery  of  bubonic  plague  in  India  is  of  vital 
concern  to  all  the  world.  They  will  see  how  all  mankind  is 
bound  together  with  them  and  how  they  can  show  their  sense 
of  brotherhood  in  practical  deeds  of  genuine  and  sincere 
cooperation  in  efforts  to  make  the  world  safe  from  inter- 
national disease.  It  is  this  spirit  that  led  a  Chinese  car- 
penter in  one  of  the  furthest  removed  villages  from  Tientsin 
to  bring  in  a  Mexican  dollar,  saying  that  he  had  heard  about 
the  Armenian  suffering  and  wanted  to  help.    It  is  what  filled 

20 


CONSCIOUSNESS  OF  LARGER  SELF         [I-c] 

the  inmates  of  the  leper  asylum  at  Miraj,  India.  Twenty-five 
rupees  had  been  sent  out  from  America  to  provide  a  Christ- 
mas dinner  for  them.  After  a  time  one  of  the  smitten  group 
came  and  said,  "We  have  been  talking  it  over  and  we  want 
you  to  take  five  rupees  of  the  amount  and  send  to  the  suffer- 
ing women  and  children  of  Belgium."  It  was  the  expanded 
self  that  led  an  aged  Dyak  chief  to  come  down  the  river  in 
his  dugout,  frpm  some  days'  distance  away,  with  some  fresh 
paddi,  bananas,  and  two  chickens,  which  he  begged  the  White 
Man  to  accept,  and  to  send  on  to  his  brother  orang-putch, 
or  white  brother,  who  lay  wounded  and  sick  beyond  the 
ocean.  Finally,  it  was  the  larger  self  developing  in  the  in- 
terior of  Africa  that  characterized  Mandombi.  Fifty  mem- 
bers of  his  congregation  and  more  than  a  hundred  other 
converts  had  been  carried  oiT  by  sleeping  sickness.  No  one 
seemed  to  understand  the  disease.  Mandombi,  knowing  that 
he  himself  was  a  victim,  conceived  the  idea  of  offering  his 
life  to  save  his  people.  Taking  with  him  five  pounds'  worth 
of  cloth — his  total  savings — he  left  his  world,  journeyed  to 
the  coast,  and  set  his  face  toward  England.  He  knew  little 
of  modern  research  and  of  post  mortems,  but  offered  his 
body  for  experimentation  in  order  that  his  people  might 
not  die.  When  Mandombi  left  his  wife  and  two  children 
and  gave  himself  as  a  sacrifice  for  his  people,  he  was  forming 
the  kind  of  self  that  must  live  on  and  on  forever.  It  is 
this  life  which  God  means  us  to  have. 

TOPICS  FOR  DISCUSSION 

1.  What  would  be  the  conception  of  self  held  by  (a)  An 
African  tribesman?  (b)  An  Indian  fakir?  (c)  A  Chinese 
indemnity    student   in   America? 

2.  What  is  the  meaning  of  the  self  to  you? 

3.  What  are  some  of  the  corporate  responsibilities  of  the 
modern  man? 

4.  In  what  specific  ways  has  the  War  made  it  easier  to 
think  in  world  terms? 

5.  Where  does  the  chief  danger  lie  in  having  a  limited 
range  of   interests? 

6.  What  picture,  analogy,  or  diagram  would  you  use  to 
bring  out  the  relationship  of  the  individual  to  society? 

7.  Show    wherein    the    following   passages    from    the    Bible 

21 


[I-c]  MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

illustrate    and    enforce   the   thought    of    this    week:    Genesis 
Chapter   i,  9:15;   12:1-3;  28:13,   14. 

8.  What  is  the  relation  between  seeking  first  the  Kingdom 
of  God  and  attaining  a  consciousness  of  the  larger  self? 

9.  What  for  you  is  the  geographical  content  of  the  word 
"Christendom"? 

10.  To  what  extent  may  you  judge  the  degree  to  which  you 
have  attained  the  larger  self  by  an  observation  of  your  range 
of  prayer? 

11.  What  was  the  justification  for  the  phrase,  "foreign 
missions"?     Is  it  justifiable  now? 

12.  Just  whaft  do  you  mean  by  the  statement,  "God  is  the 
Father  of  all  men"?  Apply  this  to  legislation  with  reference 
to  Oriental  immigration.  Illustrate  it  by  other  modern  legis- 
lation, 

13.  How  would  you  show  that  national  and  racial  indi- 
viduality are  consistent  with  the"  highest  Christian  interpre- 
tation of  the  truth  that  all  are  of  one  blood? 


2S 


CHAPTER  n 

Respect  for  the  Capacity  of 
Other  Peoples 

The  progressive  enlargement  of  the  self  of  which  we  were 
thinking  last  week  brings  us  into  direct  relationship  with 
other  races  and  other  peoples.  What  shall  be  our  dominant 
attitude  toward  them?  Of  one  thing  we  may  be  sure;  we 
can  never  serve  a  people  effectually  until  we  respect  them. 
And  on  the  other  hand  they  can  develop  only  a  little  unless 
they  respect  themselves. 

One  of  the  most  important  marks,  therefore,  of  the  world 
Christian  will  be  a  fundamental  respect  for  the  capacities 
and  attainments  of  other  peoples.  This  will  be  the  first  step 
in  stimulating  that  faith  and  courage  which  these  peoples 
must  have  if  they  are  to  come  into  their  own  highest  possi- 
bilities. One  of  the  saddest  of  experiences  is  to  dwell 
amongst  a  people  who  passively  accept  the  judgment  of 
inferiority  from  their  overlords.  And  one  of  the  most 
glorious  privileges  granted  man  is  to  help  build  up  in  such  a 
people  the  spirit  of  a  God-based  hope  and  boundless  confi-  , 

dence  that  they  have  a  work  to  do  and  a  contribution  to  make  ) 

that  is   unique  and  without  which  the  world  would  be  the  \ 

poorer.    Let  us  see  what  the  Bible  contributes  to  this  element 
of  the  Christian  consciousness.  i 

DAILY  READINGS  I 

Second  Week,  First  Day:  The  Divine  Light  Which  ; 

Lighteth  Every  Man 

In  the  beginning  was  the  Word.  ...  In  him  was  life; 
and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men.    And  the  light  shineth  j 

in   the   darkness;   and  the   darkness   apprehended   it   not. 
.  .  .  There    was    the    true    light,    even    the    light    which  \ 

23  ; 


[II-i]  MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

lighteth  every  man,  coming  into  the  world.  He  was  in 
the  world,  and  the  world  was  made  through  him,  and 
the  world  knew  him  not. — John  i :  i,  4,  5,  9,  10. 

The  writer  of  these  verses  was  mainly  interested  in  prov- 
ing that  the  divine  spirit  or  reason  was  incarnate  in  Christ. 
But  there  was  another  problem  also.  Thinkers  of  the  early 
Church  were  faced  with  a  difficulty  which  has  increasingly 
confronted  our  generation,  namely,  how  to  account  for  ele- 
ments of  truth  and  beauty  in  non-Christian  systems.  The 
early  fathers  did  not  have  to  account  for  the  strong  points 
of  Buddhism  and  Confucianism  and  Hinduism ;  but  they 
could  not  ignore  the  attainments  of  their  own  philosophers. 
Some  of  the  earliest  fathers  frankly  recognized  Plato  as 
another  of  the  Minor  Prophets.  But  the  solution  most  ac- 
cepted as  they  pondered  over  the  evidence  of  truth  outside 
Christianity  was  that  the  light  that  shines  clearly  in  Christ 
sends  gleams  into  every  part  of  the  world.  The  principle 
they  wrought  out  in  seeking  to  account  for  an  Amos  or  a 
Plato,  can  be  applied  by  us  to  a  Zoroaster,  a  Mencius,  or  a 
Ramanuja.  This  principle  was  that  the  Word  is  eternally 
active  and  leaves  no  human  being  outside  his  light. 

In  these  days  when  serious  study  of  the  non-Christian  reli- 
gions is  revealing  innumerable  fragments  of  truth  scattered 
up  and  down  amongst  them,  attention  is  being  redirected  to 
this  conception  of  a  divine  manifestation  of  God  which  is 
eternally  forth-streaming.  How  else  can  we  account  for 
the  long  continued  wrestling  of  the  non-Christian  mind 
with  problems  of  the  spirit;  how  else  can  we  explain  the 
reality  and  rich  variety  of  the  experience  of  their  religious 
leaders ;  how  better  can  we  understand  elements  of  power 
and  value  in  their  literature  and  practice?  The  great  ecumeni- 
cal missionary  conference,  that  met  at  Edinburgh  in  1910, 
reflected  in  a  remarkable  way  the  position  of  today's  reading. 
One  of  its  great  Commissions  says :  "The  religion  of  Christ, 
interpreted  in  the  light  of  the  Incarnation,  finds  everywhere 
traces  of  that  Light  which  lighteth  every  man,  that  seminal  . 
Word  giving  fragments  of  truth  even  to  those  not  privileged 
to  know  God  in  Christ.  The  missionary,  so  instructed,  asks 
of  any  nation,  What  is  the  truth  in  it  by  which  it  has  lived 
through  these  many  centuries?" 

Is  our  little  response  to  a  big  light  really  so  much  more 
worthy  than  a  great  response  to  a  little  light?     Am  I,   in 

24 


RESPECT  FOR  OTHER  PEOPLES  [II-2] 

reality,    only   a    nominal    Christian?      Or    am    I    rejoicing    in 
and  am  I  illuminated  by  the  light  that  lighteth  every  man? 

Second  Week,  Second  Day:  Recognizing  the  Func- 
tion of  Non-Christian  Peoples 

And  the  land  of  Judah  shall  become  a  terror  unto 
Egypt;  every  one  to  whom  mention  is  made  thereof  shall 
be  afraid,  because  of  the  purpose  of  Jehovah  of  hosts, 
which  he  purposeth  against  it. 

In  that  day  there  shall  be  five  cities  in  the  land  of 
Egypt  that  speak  the  language  of  Canaan,  and  swear  to 
Jehovah  of  hosts;  one  shall  be  called  The  city  of  destruc- 
tion. 

In  that  day  shall  there  be  an  altar  to  Jehovah  in  the 
midst  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  a  pillar  at  the  border 
thereof  to  Jehovah.  And  it  shall  be  for  a  sign  and  for 
a  witness  unto  Jehovah  of  hosts  in  the  land  of  Egypt; 
for  they  shall  cry  unto  Jehovah  because  of  oppressors, 
and  he  will  send  them  a  saviour,  and  a  defender,  and  he 
will  deliver  them.  And  Jehovah  shall  be  known  to  Egypt, 
and  the  Egyptians  shall  know  Jehovah  in  that  day;  yea, 
they  shall  worship  with  sacrifice  and  oblation,  and  shall 
vow  a  vow  unto  Jehovah,  and  shall  perform  it.  And 
Jehovah  will  smite  Egypt,  smiting  and  healing;  and 
they  shall  return  unto  Jehovah,  and  he  will  be  entreated 
of  them,  and  will  heal  them. 

In  that  day  shall  there  be  a  highway  out  of  Egypt  to 
Assyria,  and  the  Assyrian  shall  come  into  Egypt,  and  the 
Egyptian  into  Assyria;  and  the  Egyptians  shall  worship 
with  the  Assyrians. 

In  that  day  shall  Israel  be  the  third  with  Egypt  and 
with  Assyria,  a  blessing  in  the  midst  of  the  earth;  for 
that  Jehovah  of  hosts  hath  blessed  them,  saying,  Blessed 
be  Egypt  my  people,  and  Assyria  the  work  of  my  hands, 
and   Israel   mine   inheritance. — Isa.    19:  17-25. 

The  remarkable  thing  in  these  verses  is  the  way  in  which 
Egypt  and  Assyria  are  given  an  honored  place  along  with 
Israel.  The  prophet  is  leading  in  a  tremendous  change  of 
attitude  to  other  lands.  For  the  people  of  Israel  had  been 
used  to  think  of  themselves  as  God's  unique  possession  from 
among  all  peoples,  as  a  kingdom  of  priests,  a  holy  nation  unto 
Jehovah.  They  had  heard  God's  voice  saying:  "I  will  make 
of  thee  a  great  naticrfi,  and  I  will  bless  thee,  and  make  thy 
name  great;  and  be  thou  a  blessing:  and  I  will  bless  them 

25 


[II-3]  MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

that  bless  thee,  and  him  that  curseth  thee  will  I  curse:  and 
in  thee  shall  all  the  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed"  (Gen. 
12:2,  3).  But  in  the  last  verse  of  today's  reading  we  find 
that  three  typical  names  which  had  heretofore  been  applied 
only  to  Israel  are  recognized  as  applicable  to  other  nations 
also.  It  at  last  dawns  on  the  prophetic  consciousness  that 
Jehovah  can  speak  of  Egypt  as  "my  people,"  and  Assyria  as 
"the  work  of  my  hands."  That  Israel  should  be  spoken  of 
as  third,  with  Egypt  and  Assyria  as  first  and  second  in  the 
trio  which  is  to  be  "a  blessing  in  the  midst  of  the  earth,"  is 
the  wonder  in  this  most  missionary  of  Isaiah's  prophecies. 

Now  we  need  to  learn  Isaiah's  lesson,  for  our  times  are 
not  unlike  his.  Israel  was  finding  it  necessary  to  look  beyond 
its  own  nation  and  adjust  itself  to  a  larger  world — the  world 
of  Western  Asia.  Isaiah  helped  his  people  to  expand  from 
international  isolation  or  toleration  to  international  appre- 
ciation. America,  in  its  turn,  is  passing  from  a  stage  of 
national  insularity. 

Are  we  to  recognize  that  other  nations  have  a  real  part  to 
play  in  God's  great  plans  for  the  world?  Are  we  willing 
to  think  of  ourselves  as  associated  with  any  other  peoples 
that  we  may  together  become  a  blessing  to  the  earth?  As 
we  scan  each  day  the  morning  news,  may  we  be  given  insight 
to  see  the  hand  of  a  sovereign  God  in  the  unfolding  history 
of  the  Assyrians  of  our  day! 

Second  Week,  Third  Day:  The  Test  of  Forfeited 
Leadership 

But  of  a  truth  I  say  unto  you,  There  were  many  widows 
in  Israel  in  the  days  of  EUjah,  when  the  heaven  was  shut 
up  three  years  and  six  months,  when  there  came  a  great 
famine  over  all  the  land;  and  unto  none  of  them  was 
Elijah  sent,  but  only  to  Zarephath,  in  the  land  of  Sidon, 
unto  a  woman  that  was  a  widow.  And  there  were  many 
lepers  in  Israel  in  the  time  of  Elisha  the  prophet;  and 
none  of  them  was  cleansed,  but  only  Naaman  the  Syrian. 
And  they  were  all  filled  v^dth  wrath  in  the  synagogue, 
as  they  heard  these  things;  and  they  rose  up,  and  cast  him 
forth  out  of  the  city,  and  led  him  unto  the  brow  of  the 
hill  whereon  their  city  was  built,  that  they  might  throw 
him  down  headlong. — Luke  4:25-29. 

In  these  verses  we  have  examples  of  God's  special  blessing 

26 


RESPECT  FOR  OTHER  PEOPLES  [II-3] 

being  conferred  upon  heathen.  This  suggestion  wounded 
Jewish  pride  and  self-conceit,  and  the  implication  that  God 
might  turn  from  them  to  non-Jews  especially  angered  these 
people  of  Nazareth. 

But  whenever  God  has  passed  leadership  on  to  humbler 
peoples,  the  same  surprise  felt  by  the  men  of  Nazareth  has 
been  experienced.  The  Christians  at  Jerusalem  could  hardly 
be  persuaded  that  the  Gospel  was  really  meant  for  the 
Gentiles  as  much  as  for  themselves.  And  when  finally  leader- 
ship had  passed  to  Rome  we  can  easily  imagine  a  group  of 
Christians  there  making  light  of  missionary  efforts  amongst 
other  peoples.  To  be  sure,  there  were  Caesar's  Gallia  and 
Germania,  but  what  could  God  want  to  do  with  these  savage 
peoples?  Possibly  the  most  intelligent  amongst  them  could 
barely  picture  to  their  minds  a  far-off  group  of  islands  where 
men  held  their  crude  worship  about  the  Druid  stones  of 
Britain.  And  yet  to  those  once-despised  peoples  of  the  north, 
leadership   did  most  certainly  pass. 

Now  the  ease  with  which  each  group  nourishes  its  own 
pride  and  vanity  and  boasts  itself  superior  to  all  outsiders, 
is  a  very  widespread  phenomenon.  Each  people  is  likely  to 
scorn  the  things  in  which  other  peoples  differ  from  them- 
selves. African  tribes  think  it  a  huge  joke  that  white  people 
do  not  know  their  language ;  to  the  older  Chinese,  the  Middle 
Kingdom  was  the  yolk  of  the  egg,  and  other  lands  were  the 
specks  here  and  there  in  the  albumen ;  while  we  take  it  for 
granted  that  our  fair  skin  and  our  particular  kind  of  hair 
are  absolute  marks  of  group  superiority.  So  common  is 
this  tendency  for  a  people  to  regard  those  traits  as  s'uperior 
which  are  peculiar  to  themselves  that  a  name — ethnocentrism 
— has  been  given  it. 

Today  finds  us  standing  in  the  synagogue  with  those  men 
of  Nazareth.  Christ  has  been  amongst  us.  Wonders  that  he 
longed  to  do  for  us  and  through  us  for  the  world  remain 
undone  because  of  our  lack  of  faith.  Not  many  mighty 
things  have  been  called  forth  through  great  askings.  What 
attitude  are  we  going  to  take  as  the  Master  looks  about  for 
a  land  that  will  respond? 

And  let  us  not  forget  that,  as  Anglo-Saxons,  we  are  espe- 
cially subject  to  this  ethnocentric  pride.  Constitutionally  we 
have  a  high  sense  of  racial  superiority,  and  nothing  would 
surprise  us  more  than  to  have  God  turn  to  another  race  and 

27 


[II-4]  MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

give  leadership  to  it.  Would  not  many  an  Anglo-Saxon 
today  thrust  Jesus  out  of  his  cities  and  try  to  cast  him 
headlong  to  destruction,  if  he  should  suggest  that  white 
civilization  had  refused  to  hear  him  and  had  after  nineteen 
hundred  years  manifested  so  little  comprehension  of  his 
principles  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  turn  elsewhere  for 
leadership?  May  God  help  us  humbly  to  reflect  and  examine 
ourselves.  "Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for  theirs  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven"  (Matt.  5:3). 

Second  Week,  Fourth  Day:  Generosity  in  Appre- 
ciation 

And  the  centurion  answered  and  said,  Lord,  I  am  not 
worthy  that  thou  shouldest  come  under  my  roof;  but 
only  say  the  word,  and  my  servant  shall  be  healed.  For 
I  also  am  a  man  under  authority,  having  under  myself 
soldiers:  and  I  say  to  this  one,  Go,  and  he  goeth;  and 
to  another,  Come,  and  he  cometh;  and  to  my  servant. 
Do  this,  and  he  doeth  it.  And  when  Jesus  heard  it,  he 
marvelled,  and  said  to  them  that  followed,  Verily  I  say 
unto  you,  I  have  not  found  so  great  faith,  no,  not  in 
Israel.  And  I  say  unto  you,  that  many  shall  come  from 
the  east  and  the  west,  and  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham, 
and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven:  but 
the  sons  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  cast  forth  into  the  outer 
darkness:  there  shall  be  the  vyeeping  and  the  gnashing  of 
teeth.— Matt.  8:8-12. 

Jesus  was  an  internationalist  in  the  aspect  of  this  week's 
study.  'Amidst  the  prejudices  of  a  narrowly  centered  nation, 
he  did  not  hesitate  to  point  out  admirable  traits  amongst  non- 
Jewish  peoples.  Rising  above  all  petty  national  jealousies, 
we  find  him  ascribing  to  a  despised  Samaritan  the  possession 
of  a  most  striking  ethical  attainment.  He  did  not  hesitate 
to  affirm  that  many  shall  come  from  the  east  and  west  and 
shall  sit  down  with  Abraham  and  Isaac  and  Jacob  in  the 
Kingdom  of  God.  And  here  in  today's  reading  is  the  most 
surprising  instance  of  faith  that  Jesus  had  found.  Should  he 
be  blind  to  it  because  it  was  found  in  a  Gentile? 

Again  we  find  him  ascribing  true  greatness  to  the  spirit 
of  ministry,  saying:  "Whosoever  would  be  first  among  you 
shall  be  your  servant"  (Matt.  20:27).  Feeling  thus,  would 
he  have  refused  his  meed  of  praise  if  he  had  found  something 


RESPECT  FOR  OTHER  PEOPLES  [II-5] 

fine  and  true  such  as  the  following  from  the  Tao-Teh-King 
of  China?  "Heaven  is  long  enduring,  and  earth  continues 
long.  The  reason  why  heaven  and  earth  are  able  to  endure 
and  continue  thus  long  is  because  they  do  not  live  of,  or  for, 
themselves.  This  is  how  they  are  able  to  continue  and  endure. 
Therefore  the  sage  puts  his  own  person  last,  and  yet  it  is 
found  in  the  foremost  place.  ...  Is  it  not  because  he  has 
no  personal  and  private  ends,  that  therefore  such  ends  are 
realized?  The  highest  excellence  is  like  that  water.  The 
excellence  of  water  appears  in  its  benefiting  all  things,  and 
in  its  occupying,  without  striving,  the  low  place  which  all 
men  dislike."^ 

Jesus  pronounced  a  blessing  upon  the  poor  in  spirit.  Would 
he  refuse  to  express  appreciation  of  this  spirit  when  found  in 
a  non-Christian  today?  And  shall  not  we,  as  we  turn  many 
an  arid  page  of  Indian  literamre,  rejoice  over  this  lovely 
prayer  by  the  saint,  Tulsi  Das?  "Lord  look  Thou  upon  me — 
nought  can  I  do  myself.  Whither  can  I  go?  To  w^hom  but 
Thee  can  I  tell  my  sorrow?  Oft  have  I  turned  my  face  from 
Thee  and  grasped  the  things  of  this  world,  but  Thou  art 
the  fount  of  mercy,  turn  not  Thou  Thy  face  from  me.  .  .  . 
When  I  looked  away  from  Thee  I  had  no  eyes  of  faith  to 
see  Thee  where  Thou  art,  but  Thou  art  all  seeing.  I  am 
but  an  offering  cast  before  Thee.  .  .  .  Remember  Thy  mercy 
and  Thy  might,  then  cast  Thine  eyes  upon  me  and  claim  me 
as  Thy  slave.  Thy  very  own  .  .  .  Lord,  Thy  ways  ever  give 
joy  unto  my  heart.  Tulsi  is  Thine  alone,  and  O,  God  of 
mercy,  do  unto  him  as  seemeth  good  unto  Thee."^ 

Second  Week,  Fifth  Day:  Incorporating  Old  Foun- 
dations in  the  New  Social  Order 

Because  that  which  is  known  of  God  is  manifest  in 
them;  for  God  manifested  it  unto  them.  For  the  invisible 
things  of  him  since  the  creation  of  the  world  are  clearly 
seen,  being  perceived  through  the  things  that  are  made, 
even  his  everlasting  power  and  divinity. — Rom.   i :  19,  20. 

To  the  people  of  Lystra,  Paul  and  Barnabas  said : 

Sirs,  why  do  ye  these  things?    We  also  are  men  of  like 


1 "  Sacred  Books  of  the  East,"  Vol.  39,  p.  52. 
2S.  K.  Datta,  "  The  Desire  of  India,"  p.  91. 

29 


[II-5]  MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

passions  with  you,  and  bring  you  good  tidings,  that  ye 
should  turn  from  these  vain  things  unto  a  living  God, 
who  made  the  heaven  and  the  earth  and  the  sea,  and  all 
that  in  them  is:  who  in  the  generations  gone  by  suffered 
all  the  nations  to  walk*  in  their  own  ways.  And  yet  he 
left  not  himself  without  witness,  in  that  he  did  good  and 
gave  you  from  heaven  rains  and  fruitful  seasons,  filling 
your  hearts  with  food  and  gladness. — Acts  14:15-17. 

So  little  are  we  used  to  planning  and  acting  on  the  truths 
of  yesterday's  lesson  that  we  may  well  ponder  for  another 
day  on  this  far-reaching  truth  that  God's  power  and  divinity 
have  been  made  manifest  to  every  people  in  every  clime. 
Amongst  none  has  he  left  himself  without  witness.  When 
taken  seriously,  this  great  truth  is  bound  to  affect  the  attitude 
of  reconstructors  of  the  world  order,  whether  they  go  forth 
to  other  nations  as  ambassadors  of  the  Church  or  as  Chris- 
tian laymen.  Must  the  new  building  be  made  from  the 
foundation  up  with  entirely  new  material?  Or  shall  we  go 
forth  confident  that  some  of  the  preparatory  work  has  been 
done  and  that  some  bits  of  material  needed  will  be  found 
upon  the  ground?  If  we  are  to  exhibit  the  marks  of  a  world 
Christian,  we  must  sit  at  Paul's  feet  in  Lystra.  For  the  atti- 
tude with  which  we  approach  our  world  brothers  not  yet 
Christian  will  be  profoundly  affected  by  our  acceptance  or 
non-acceptance  of  Paul's  teaching.  Much  of  their  building 
is  sadly  defective — how  could  it  be  otherwise  without  con- 
scious reference  to  the  Master  Builder?  But  in  helping  them 
to  rebuild  we  may  be  confident  that  if  with  certainty  the 
foundation  stone  of  Jesus  Christ  be  laid,  there  will  be  bits 
of  the  old  structure  that  can  be  fitly  used.  Shall  we,  for 
example,  throw  this  brick  aside  in  building  the  new  structure 
— it  is  the  saying  of  a  Chinese  sage — ? 

"To  those  who  are  good  to  me,  I  am  good;  and  to  those 
who  are  not  good  to  me,  I  am  also  good; — and  thus  all  get 
to  be  good.  To  those  who  are  sincere  with  me,  I  am  sincere ; 
and  to  those  who  are  not  sincere  with  me,  I  am  also  sincere ; 
— and  thus  all  get  to  be  sincere."^ 

More  than  one  missionary  in  China  carries  with  him  the 
Analects  of  Confucius  and  finds  in  them  many  a  point  of 
contact   for  a  Christian  message.     It  was  the  conviction  of 


3  "  Sacred  Books  of  the  East,"  Vol.  39*  p.  91. 

30 


RESPECT  FOR  OTHER  PEOPLES  [II-6] 

this  truth  which  led  a  missionary,  famous  for  his  knowledge 
of  Indian  thought  and  famous  also  for  the  number  of  con- 
verts he  had  won,  to  say  that  it  was  the  bounden  duty  of 
every  missionary  to  India  to  read  the  Bhagavad-Gita  through 
once  a  year  at  least. 

In  this  emphasis  Christ's  spirit  and  teaching  make  another 
of  their  great  contributions  to  the  democracy  of  God.  Each 
one  of  us  will  be  more  prepared  to  enter  into  helpful,  larger 
relationships  if  we  also  catch  a  thoroughgoing  conviction 
that  others  besides  ourselves  will  contribute — that  God  has 
not  left  himself  without  witness  amongst  any  people. 

Second  Week,  Sixth  Day :  Rejoicing  in  the  Mutually 
Differing  Endowments  of  Peoples 

Now  there  are  diversities  of  gifts,  but  the  same  Spirit. 
And  there  are  diversities  of  ministrations,  and  the  same 
Lord.  And  there  are  diversities  of  workings,  but  the 
same  God,  who  worketh  all  things  in  all.  ...  If  the 
whole  body  were  an  eye,  where  were  the  hearing?  If 
the  whole  were  hearing,  where  were  the  smelling?  But 
now  hath  God  set  the  members  each  one  of  them  in  the 
body,  even  as  it  pleased  him.  And  if  they  were  all  one 
member,  where  were  the  body?  But  now  they  are  many 
members,  but  one  body.  And  the  eye  cannot  say  to  the 
hand,  I  have  no  need  of  thee:  or  again  the  head  to  the 
feet,  I  have  no  need  of  you.  Nay,  much  rather,  those 
members  of  the  body  which  seem  to  be  more  feeble  are 
necessary. — I  Cor.   12:4-6,  17-22. 

Here  is  another  great  biblical  truth,  the  application  of 
which  we  have  too  long  confined  to  individuals.  We  rejoice 
with  Paul  to  acknowledge  variety  of  gifts  in  persons;  let  us 
no  less  enthusiastically  recognize  variety  of  endowment  and 
faculty  amongst  peoples.  In  the  great  family  of  God,  fullest, 
richest  life  depends  upon  the  multiplicity  and  variety  of 
function  possessed  by  the  various  members.  Internationally 
we  may  well  say:  "If  the  whole  world  were  America  where 
would  be  the  beautiful  gifts  of  Japan?  If  the  whole  were 
Japan  where  were  India?  If  they  were  all  one  member 
where  would  be  our  wondrously  varied  world?"  A  Christian 
world  democracy  must  welcome  the  most  diversely  gifted 
peoples  and  have  the  conviction  that  a  use  will  be  found  for 

31 


[II-6]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

every  taste  and  every  instinct  and  every  aptitude  that  God 
has  given  them.  Every  nation's  life,  as  well  as  every  man's 
life,  is  a  thought  of  God.  And  it  is  just  this  fundamental 
belief  in  the  endowment  of  other  peoples  that  makes  us 
expectant  of  reciprocity  and  takes  the  note  of  condescension 
from  an  interchange  of  service. 

As  we  get  further  from  the  condition  of  primitive  peoples, 
the  typical  gifts  of  national  groups  are  increasingly  called 
forth.  When  intercommunication  was  as  yet  undeveloped, 
each  people  did  for  itself  all  that  was  done.  For  an  un- 
developed society  is  much  like  that  relatively  undifferentiated 
organism,  the  amoeba — every  part  of  which  may  in  succession 
be  arms  or  legs  or  mouth  or  stomach.  It  is  when  the  amoeba 
becomes  a  many-membered  man,  and  the  primitive  society 
becomes  an  intricately  correlated  modern  world  that  we  be- 
come conscious  of  interdependence.  It  is  easiest  in  the 
economic  realm  to  show,  with  Adam  Smith  in  his  epoch- 
making  "Wealth  of  Nations,"  that  there  is  something  which 
each  nation  can  best  produce.  But  the  diamonds  of  Kim- 
berley,  the  tea  of  Assam,  and  the  coffee  of  Brazil  may  be 
taken  as  merely  symbolic  of  higher  realms  of  differentiated 
service  that  each  group  may  render  to  the  world. 

Finally,  no  more  nationally  than  individually  should  we 
boast  over  what  we  may  consider  less  brilliantly  gifted  mem- 
bers. There  is  no  place  in  the  mind  of  a  Christian  for  inter- 
national depreciation.  The  eye  cannot  say  to  the  hand,  I 
have  no  need  of  thee,  nor  should  a  boastful  American  say 
to  any  land,  I  have  no  need  of  thee. 

In  these  days  more  than  ever  before,  those  who  have  been 
regarded  as  the  more  feeble  parts  of  a  great  world  family 
have  been  found  to  be  "more  necessary."  Peoples  that  might 
once  have  been  scorned  have  been  transported  by  the  thou- 
sand to  Europe,  in  order  that  the  health  of  the  whole  body 
might  be  maintained.  But  the  reason  why  there  should  be 
no  boasting  is  not  because  it  would  be  ungracious  to  laugh 
at  those  whose  humbler  gifts  are  serving  us,  but  because 
it  is  God  that  has  given  one  faculty  to  the  one  and  another 
faculty  to  the  other.  Let  us  beware  that  we  do  not  impugn 
the  wisdom  of  Him  who  chose  for  each  person  and  each 
nation  the  endowments  they  possess. 

Here  again  the  Christian  spirit  makes  a  great  contribution 
to  the  democracy  of  God.     It  recognizes  the  worth  of  every 

32 


RESPECT  FOR  OTHER  PEOPLES  [II.-7] 

individual — not  simply  of  those  apparently  most  favored.  It 
recognizes  without  disparagement  the  gift  of  every  individual 
and  seeks  to  develop  that  gift  to  the  very  utmost.  May  God 
help  me  today,  in  my  judgment  of  other  peoples,  to  under- 
stand this  truth.  Let  me  despise  no  group  which  God  has 
made. 

Second  Week,  Seventh  Day:  Mutual  Supplementa- 
tion by  Peoples 

But  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace,  long- 
suffering,  kindness,  goodness,  faithfulness,  meekness, 
self-control. — Gal.  5:22,  23a. 

With  a  few  bold  strokes  Paul  here  has  sketched  nine 
elements  of  the  Christian  character.  There  are  aspects  of 
character  here  which  after  centuries  of  Christian  education 
we  do  not  find  it  easy,  as  a  people,  to  embody.  On  the  othe^r 
hand,  suppose  you  read  them  over,  underscoring  those  quali- 
ties which  find  marked  expression  in  the  Orient.  You  will 
doubtless  underscore  qualities  which  the  Occident,  if  it  told 
the  truth,  would  acknowledge  that  it  scorned.  Yet  come  to 
the  East  and  see  lands  which,  through  God's  grace  working 
upon  aptitudes  already  there,  may  yet  make  us  see  the  power 
of  patience,  the  grandeur  of  gentleness,  the  nobility  of  meek- 
ness, the  dignity  of  submissiveness,  and  the  glory  of  humility. 

These  are  not  qualities  that  the  average  Anglo-Saxon 
admires.  It  is  really  meant  to  be  a  term  of  reproach  when 
we  speak  of  "the  mild  Hindu."  Our  emphasis  is  on  cour- 
age, truth,  justice,  duty.  These  ought  we  to  have  done 
and  not  left  the  other  undone.  A  full-orbed  character  in- 
volves more  than  our  fragments  of  the  sphere,  and  we  may 
well  work  for  that  time  when  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ  shall 
perfect  in  them  elements  which  will  supplement  our  own. 

Now  our  blindness  to  real  values  in  the  ideals  of  Japanese 
and  Chinese  and  Indian  and  South  American  civilizations  is 
a  real  hindrance  to  the  spirit  of  world  democracy.  Every 
civilization  has  an  angle  from  which  it  seems  warm  and 
bright  to  its  own  people.  If  America  does  not  have  enough 
sympathetic  love  to  catch  that  point  of  view,  much  that  will 
be  done  in  the  way  of  attempted  friendship  will  be  as  sound- 
ing brass  and  a  tinkling  cymbal. 

33 


[II-c]  MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

COMMENT  FOR  THE  WEEK 
I 

It  will  help  us  to  form  correct  attitudes  toward  other 
peoples  if  we  look  for  a  moment  at  several  considerations 
zvhich  will  better  enable  us  to  appreciate  the  capacity  of  the 
peoples  of  other  civilizations  than  our  own.  In  the  first 
place,  we  need  to  mark  the  distinction  so  finely  drawn 
by  Professor  Franz  Boas*  between  cultural  achievement 
and  hereditary  aptitude  for  achievement.  Starting  from  the 
acknowledged  fact  that  European  civilization  is  distin- 
guished by  greater  achievement,  the  question  may  be  raised 
as  to  whether  this  indicates  a  superior  aptitude  or  capacity 
in  European  peoples.  The  ordinary  assumption  is  that  the 
race  that  has  attained  the  highest  stage  of  civilization  is 
naturally  the  most  gifted.  But  a  consideration  of  the  ques- 
tion shows  that  the  ways  in  which  different  peoples  were 
grouped  together  about  the  Mediterranean  basin,  the  com- 
parative ease  of  communication  between  these  peoples,  their 
more  or  less  common  physical  appearance,  and  the  slight 
differences  in  the  modes  of  manufacture  between  them  were 
favoring  conditions  facilitating  the  rapid  interchange  of  new 
advances  in  civilization  that  might  be  made  in  any  one  part 
of  this  Mediterranean  area.  It  is  thus  plain  that  historical 
events  may  have  been  a  very  potent  factor  in  leading  one 
race  to  civilization  before  another. 

A  distinction  has  been  made  between  genius  and  fume 
which  helps  us  to  be  fair  in  the  comparison  of  races.  "Genius 
is  aptitude  for  greatness  that  is  born  in  a  man;  fame  is  the 
recognition  by  men  that  greatness  has  been  achieved."^  We 
cannot  scientifically  compare  the  racial  capacity  of  Americans 
and  Africans  by  the  relative  numbers  of  men  or  women  who 
have  attained  fame.  For  genius  may  not  always  result  in 
fame.  To  realize  this  it  is  sufficient  to  note,  for  example, 
one  or  two  obstacles  that  would  almost  inevitably  prevent 
genius  from  attaining  fame.  If  the  born  genius  remains 
illiterate,  this  is  a  handicap  which  he  can  scarcely  surmount. 
Would  one  ever  have  known  Lincoln  if  his  mother  had  not 
been  able  to  give  him  a  start,  small  as  it  was,  in  reading? 

4  "  The  Mind  of  Primitive  Man,"  Chap.  I. 

s  C.  H.  Cooley,  "  Annals  of  the  American  Academy  of  Political  and  Social 
Science,"  Vol.  IX,  pp.  317  seq. 

34 


RESPECT  FOR  OTHER  PEOPLES  [II-c] 

Now  there  may  be  Lincolns  in  Africa,  but  what  percentage 
of  African  mothers  can  enable  their  sons  to  rise  out  of  the 
illiterate  masses?  Again,  undernourishment  may  effectually 
keep  genius  down.  When,  as  in  India,  malnutrition  reaches 
a  point  where  one  hundred  million  go  hungry  to  bed  each 
night ;  and  where,  as  in  some  parts  of  China,  a  mother  must 
face  the  problem  of  disposing  of  her  baby  girl  in  order  to 
conserve  food  for  the  rest  of  the  family,  we  can  see  how 
possible  it  is  that  native  ability  may  have  no  chance.  We 
cannot,  therefore,  compare  nations  or  peoples  merely  by  the 
relative  number  of  outstanding  men. 

A  still  further  aid  in  securing  a  proper  attitude  to  other 
peoples  is  a  suitable  time-perspective  for  judgment.  Uni- 
versity professors^  tell  us  about  paleolithic  implements  which 
may  have  been  made  150,000  years  ago.  They  say  that  eolithic 
remains  may  antedate  this  by  150,000  years.  Acknowledging 
these  to  be  rough  guesses  merely,  let  us  use  them  to  get  a 
perspective  for  judgment  as  to  our  relative  attainments  com- 
pared with  other  peoples.  Crowd  those  300,000  years  down 
into  the  time  between  twelve  o'clock  last  night  and  twelve 
o'clock  this  noon.  And  on  that  reduced  scale  it  was  only 
about  twenty  minutes  to  twelve  today  that  our  Aryan  ances- 
tors were  separating,  some  to  go  down  into  India,  some  to 
the  West.  Only  fifteen  minutes  ago  the  Vedas  were  v/ritten. 
Six  minutes  ago  Buddha,  Zoroaster,  and  Confucius  lived, 
while  the  coming  of  Christ  was  only  five  minutes  ago.  The 
discovery  of  the  sea  routes  about  Cape  Horn  and  Good  Hope 
took  place  in  the  last  minute,  while  all  of  modern  missions 
has  filled  but  fifteen  seconds  of  this  reduced  cosmic  time. 
From  this  standpoint  we  do  not  need  to  be  inordinately  proud, 
for  five  minutes  ago  India  was  far  ahead  of  us  in  civilization ; 
they  had  high  culture  when  our  forefathers  were  little  more 
than  savages.  We  may  be  shocked  at  the  promiscuous  bath- 
ing customs  in  the  more  backward  places  of  Japan  and  South 
America,  and  yet,  on  the  scale  we  have  suggested,  the  taboo 
on  nudity  in  central  Europe  .is  as  recent  as  a  half  minute 
ago.  It  is  well  for  us  to  recall  "the  rock  from  which  we 
were  hewn  and  the  pit  from  which  we  were  digged."  Not 
so  very  long  ago  St.  Augustine  of  Canterbury,  St.  Patrick, 
Columban,    and    others    found    customs    and    conditions    in 


"See  especially  Prof.  J.  H.  Robinson,  in  "A  Lecture  on  History,"  Columbia 
University  Press. 

35 


[II-c]  MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

Europe  more  savage  than  a  missionary  is  likely  to  find  in 
mission  fields  today.  The  billion  illiterates  in  non-Christian 
lands  make  a  sharp  contrast  with  our  numerous  schools  and 
colleges.  And  yet  it  is  well  for  us  to  remember  that  a  cen- 
tury ago  Germany  was  the  only  European  nation  that  had 
organized  a  national  system  of  education;  in  England  the 
state  did  not  assume  responsibility  for  supplying  elementary 
education  until  1870;  while  the  spread  of  free  public  educa- 
tion and  of  higher  education  for  women  is  in  the  United 
States  largely  a  matter  of  the  last  three-fourths  of  a  century. 
"With  a  proper  perspective  we  realize  that  a  few  minutes  ago 
many  mission  lands  were  ahead  of  us,  and  that  now  we  are 
only  "neck  ahead,"  so  to  speak.  This  point  of  view  should 
take  from  us  some  of  the  condescension  with  which  we  tend 
to  approach  another  people. 

With  minds  fixed  on  the  attainments  of  modern  Western 
civilization,  it  may  be  flattering  to  regard  priority  of  attain- 
ment as  an  indication  of  superiority.  We  may  enjoy  thinking 
of  ourselves  as  further  removed  from  our  simian  ancestors 
than  are  the  peoples  of  backward  nations.  Oblivious  to  the 
trend  of  thought  with  reference  to  heredity,  we  may  like 
to  think  that  modern  civilization  has  left  its  mark  for  good 
on  the  brain  structure  of  the  white  child.  All  these  things 
naturally  strengthen  our  racial  pride.  But  it  is  well  for  us 
to  realize  that  modern  science  has  not  furnished  the  proof 
of  one  of  those  assumptions. 

II 

From  such  scientific  considerations  with  reference  to  rela- 
tive racial  capacity,  we  may  recall  with  new  freshness  those 
conceptions  which  were  fundamental  zuith  Jesus.  The  father- 
hood of  God  was  one  of  these  fundamental  realities  to  Jesus; 
and  yet  we  have  rolled  this  phrase  so  often  from  our  lips 
that  it  hardly  suggests  to  us  that  God's  interest  in  humanity 
must  be  unmarked  by  any  favoritism.  That  every  man  is 
a  child  of  God  was  fundamental  with  Jesus,  and  yet,  to  most 
of  us  this  has  meant  a  warm  assurance  of  our  own  sonship, 
rather  than  the  sonship  of  the  Zulu  or  the  Brahman.  That 
God  is  love  was  central  to  Jesus ;  and  yet  do  we  really  think 
of  the  Father's  heart  hovering  in  love  over  each  man,  woman, 
and  child  in  the  Kamerun  as  it  does  over  the  children  of  our 
own  community?     That  any  one — whether  in  the  slums  of  a 

36 


RESPECT  FOR  OTHER  PEOPLES  [II-c] 

city  or  in  the  New  Hebrides — should  be  loved  by  God,  gives 
to  him  priceless  worth  and  opens  up  the  certainties  of  eternal 
life  involving  endless  possibilities. 

Furthermore,  Jesus  revealed  the  infinite  reaches  ahea'd  of 
every  human  being.  Our  stage  of  attainment  is  not  fixed, 
and  no  limit  has  been  set  to  growth  in  our  Father's  heart. 
Let  us  be  certain,  therefore,  that  any  race  or  people  who  are 
given  the  chance,  who  have  the  knowledge  and  the  will  to 
conform  to  God's  law,  may  advance.  For  each  people  who 
will  appropriate  them,  God  has  great  riches  in  store.  Neither 
the  Hottentot  nor  we  are  wholly  bound  by  past  attainment. 
It  is  a  matter  of  knowledge  that  the  American  Negro  has 
made  vast  advances ;  and  if  he  lays  hold  on  the  principle  of 
growth  as  found  in  Christ,  while  we  do  not,  no  racial  aptitude 
that  we  seem  to  possess  will  keep  him  from  developing  on 
beyond  us.  That  "God  is  able  to  make  all  grace  abound 
unto  you ;  that  ye,  having  always  all  sufficiency  in  everything, 
may  abound  unto  every  good  work"  (H  Cor.  9:8)  was  not 
said  more  for  the  white  than  the  black.  Why  should  we  not, 
therefore,  enter  the  new  democracy  dominated  with  a  bound- 
less trust  in  man's  unlimited  capacity  to  appropriate  the  in- 
exhaustible good  of  an  infinite  God? 

The  mind  of  a  world  Christian  has,  then,  a  fundamental 
respect  for  other  peoples  and  is  enthusiastic  over  the  possi- 
bilities in  all  mankind.  It  does  not  dwell  primarily  on  men's 
defects,  but  upon  their  potential  promise ;  not  upon  what 
distant  peoples  are  not,  but  upon  what  they  may  become. 
It  holds  that  no  limits  can  be  set  to  any  race  in  their  growth 
in  knowledge,  in  power,  in  character,  and  in  a  wondrous 
progressive  sharing  of  the  life  of  God. 

When  once  we  begin  to  think  of  individuals  on  our  planet 
as  God  must  think  of  them,  then  our  eyes  are  made  alert 
to  see  attainments  to  which  before  we  had  been  blind. 
Against  the  background  of  God's  will  for  the  humblest  people 
of  our  day,  springs  up  a  thrill  of  enthusiasm  for  the  spiritual 
possibilities  of  humanity.  And  when  our  hearts  and  minds 
get  saturated  with  the  conviction  of  the  endless  capacity  of 
the  hum.an  soul,  we  are  impelled  to  join  with  God  in  that 
patient,  educative,  hopeful  love  which  helps  that  soul  to  attain. 

Ill 

If,  then,  we  have  no  scientific  justification   for  estimating 
37 


[II-c]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

white  capacity  as  greater  than  that  of  any  other  race;  if 
we  are  sincere  in  beHeving  that  God  is  not  partial  in  his 
love  to  his  children,  then  there  must  have  been  a  yearning  of 
the  Spirit  amidst  these  other  peoples  all  through  the  ages. 
We,  as  Christians  in  this  world  outreach,  will  be  from  first 
to  last  awake  to  the  fact  that  we  are  beginning  our  mission- 
ary work  far  along  in  the  history  of  God's  working  with 
these  peoples.  God  has  been  working  there  for  centuries. 
This  conviction  will  lead  us  to  be  alert  to  see  what  contribu- 
tions these  other  peoples  will  make  to  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

Any  high  school  essay  will  recount  the  racial  contributions 
of  a  certain  trio — ethical  monotheism  from  the  Jew,  beauty 
and  philosophy  from  the  Greek,  law  and  organization  from 
the  Roman ;  but,  are  we  sufficiently  expectant  concerning 
what  God  has  been  training  still  other  peoples  to  give?  Just 
as  we  may  turn  to  the  Teuton  or  the  Slav  for  musical  gifts, 
to  the  Italian  for  sensitiveness  to  color,  to  the  French  for 
clarity  of  thought,  and  to  the  Anglo-Saxon  for  political  sense, 
so,  as  we  shall  see,  we  must  turn  to  the  Orient  or  to  South 
America  for  other  gifts  as  precious. 

Nor  should  we  be  indifferent  to  these  attainments  of  other 
peoples.  It  seems  that  a  stage  has  been  reached  in  God's 
tuition  of  the  race  in  which  humanity  needs  the  mutual  stimu- 
lus, criticism,  cooperation,  example  of  its  various  parts.  One 
member  cannot  solve  its  problems  to  the  best  advantage  in 
isolation.  As  Bernard  Lucas  puts  it :  "As  far  as  we  can  see, 
the  period  of  primary  education  with  its  divisions  into  sepa- 
rate classes  and  class-rooms  is  over,  and  He  is  gathering  His 
children  together  that  they  may  impart  to  one  another  the 
lessons  they  have  learned,  and  cooperate  with  Him  in  larger 
issues.""  East  and  West  may  find  mutually  helpful  correc- 
tives in  an  interchange  of  emphases — the  one,  for  example, 
on  solidarity,  the  other  on  individualism.  *  A  companionship 
of  nations  is  thus  becoming  possible  which,  like  friendship 
between  those  of  varied  gifts,  contains  vast  possibilities  of 
mutual  enrichment. 

Most  truly  from  this  standpoint  is  the  success  of  one 
nation  the  success  of  all;  and  the  failure  of  one  nation  the 
loss  of  all.  Kipling's  law  of  the  jungle  becomes  true  for  the 
somewhat  less  savage  human  folk : 


7  Bernard  Lucas,  "  Our  Task  in  India,"  p.  35. 

38 


RESPECT  FOR  OTHER  PEOPLES  [II-c] 

"For  the  strength  of  the  pack  is  the  wolf, 
And  the  strength  of  the  wolf  is  the  pack." 

More  stimulating  still  is  the  expectation  of  what  these 
gifts  may  become  when  transformed  and  ennobled  by  Jesus 
Christ.  We  shall  never  apprehend  all  that  Christ  is  until 
we  see  him  bodied  forth  in  every  nation.  All  that  he  signifies 
is  too  rich  in  content  to  be  fully  set  forth  in  any  single  indi- 
vidual or  any  single  race.  His  full  expression  in  the  worth 
and  beauty  of  countless  souls  is  what  Tennyson  meant  by 
the  phrase,  "the  Christ  that  is  to  be."  The  hope  of  helping 
to  unfold  new  expressions  of  Christian  beauty  may  be  a 
great  stimulus  to  work  for  other  peoples. 

Christian  hymn  books  of  the  West  often  contain  words  by 
Krishna  Pal,  Carey's  first  convert,  "O  thou,  my  soul,  forget 
no  more,"  "Church  Melodies,"  892 ;  Baptist  Hymnal,  445 ;  or 
that  beautiful  tribute  to  our  Lord  by  a  daughter  of  Hindu- 
stan, Ellen  Lakhshmi  Goreh,  in  her  verses  which  begin,  "In 
the  secret  of  his  presence  how  my  soul  delights  to  hide."^ 
Such  contributions  from  other  lands  suggest  that  God's  white 
light  when  passed  through  the  prism  of  time  and  space  reveals 
itself  in  the  primary  colors  of  earth's  peoples,  the  spectrum 
of  humanity. 

As  in  a  beautiful  stained-glass  window  the  glory  of  the 
whole  comes  from  the  different  colored  bits  arranged  in 
thoughtful  harmony,  so  only  can  the  most  glorious  tribute 
to  our  God  come  from  his  varied  children  transmitting 
through  their  very  being  the  light  and  spirit  of  their  Father. 
Or — to  use  another  figure — I  can  imagine  no  more  wonderful 
symphony  than  that  made  up  from  the  voices  of  the  nations, 
each  with  its'  characteristic  note,  under  the  great  Director, 
Christ. 

IV 

Let  us  note  some  of  the  racial  gifts  and  attainments 
amongst  the  peoples  of  the  earth.  We  shall  find  that  some 
of  these  attainments  supplement  the  more  habitual  emphases 
in  Western  thought  and  practice. 

India,  for  example,  fairly  breathes  religion.  She  has  pro- 
duced the  religions  with  which  over  three  hundred  and  fifty 
million  people  face  life  and  death.    Nor  is  this  capacity  dead ; 


8  "Hymns  of  Consecration  and  Faith,"  No.  287. 

39 


[II-c]  MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

for  a  recent  authority^  enumerates  over  two  score  modern 
sects  in  India  today.  "God-intoxicated,"  some  have  called 
her.  To  one  experienced  missionary  India's  religious  nature 
is  "a  veritable  Nile  v^hich  w^aits  only  for  the  skill  which 
can  direct  and  the  energy  which  can  utilize,  to  transform 
her  into  the  richest  provmce  in  the  empire  of  Christ."  See 
those  great  stone  steps  leading  down  to  the  Ganges ;  see 
how  that  immense  throng,  in  pressing  down  to  the  sacred 
waters,  has  trampled  to  death  two  women  who  happened  to 
stumble  in  the  descent.  And  then  imagine,  if  you  can,  such 
vast  multitudes  of  people  stampeding  the  churches  of  our 
country,  so  that  we  need  be  anxious  for  our  safety.  One 
must  note  also  the  philosophic  temperament  of  India.  For 
centuries  she  has  given  almost  no  attention  to  science  or  to 
history;  but  she  has,  perhaps  without  an  equal,  given  her 
talent  to  searching  out  the  metaphysical  mysteries  of  reli- 
gion. This  developed  gift,  when  applied  to  the  revelation  as 
found  in  Christ,  should  yield  new  visions  of  truth  to  us. 

Still  further  is  one  impressed  with  her  capacity  for  con- 
templation. We  can  hardly  remain  upon  our  knees  long 
enough  to  voice  a  lengthy  prayer.  But  the  Hindu  has 
learned  a  poise  and  quiet  and  rest  in  contemplation,  to  which 
we  are  strangers.  Again,  the  very  name  of  India  recalls 
those  thousands  of  wandering  devotees  who  have  left  house 
and  family  and,  with  little  more  than  a  beggar's  bowl,  spend 
their  lives  in  pilgrimage.  Now  we  cannot  admire  their 
method  of  proceeding  by  successive  prostrations  to  a  temple, 
their  rolling  for  miles  in  self-imposed  discipline,  their  sitting 
amidst  fires  under  India's  burning  sun ;  but  the  capacity  for 
renunciation  that  is  there  we  can  admire.  Turn  that  willing- 
ness for  self-abnegation  and  devotion  into  constructive  chan- 
nels, and  the  world  will  yet  pause  in  appreciative  wonder. 

Turning,  now  to  China  we  find  traits  which  are  full  of 
promise  for  the  Kingdom.  Note  their  love  of  peace ;  their 
democratic  spirit ;  their  tenacity  of  purpose ;  their  indomitable 
perseverance;  their  unlimited  patience;  their  reverence  for 
past  values,  which  has  led  to  an  extreme  conservatism  in  the 
past,  but  nevertheless  is  a  wholesome  safeguard  against  ill- 
considered  innovations  for  the  future ;  their  physical  stamina ; 
and  their  genius  for  labor  and  thrift,  which  is  popularly 
embodied  in  the  statement  that  if  you  give  a  Chinese  a  foot 

9  J.  N.  Farquhar,  "  Modern  Religious  Movements  in  India." 

40 


RESPECT  FOR  OTHER  PEOPLES  [II-c] 

of  ground  and  a  pint  of  water  he  can  manage  to  pull  along. 
Those  long  rows  of  examination  halls  have  disappeared  with 
the  passing  of  China's  ancient  educational  system ;  but  the 
developed  capacity  for  the  grinding  application  of  the  Chinese 
student  remains.  The  World  Missionary  Conference  at 
Edinburgh  still  further  appreciatively  testifies^"  to  a  suavity 
and  tact  that  will  meet  any  situation  and  win  unexpected 
victory  from  apparent  defeat ;  a  talent  for  organization  which 
has  made  the  Chinese  pastmasters  in  combinations,  guilds, 
and  societies  of  all  sorts;  a  sense  of  responsibility  which  is 
based  on  a  high  ideal  of  the  duties  of  kinship;  and  great 
susceptibility  to  the  influence  of  a  strong  personality,  be  it 
the  missionary  or  the  master  whom  he  is  trying  to  imitate. 
Surely  we  can  rejoice  in  such  qualities  in  these  earth-com- 
panions .of  ours. 

When  we  think  of  Japan  one  word  perhaps  comes  to  all 
of  us  as  embodying  the  spirit  of  that  people — loyalty.  We 
may  be  shocked  at  a  wife's  suicide  in  order  to  release  her 
husband  from  domestic  ties  for  his  country's  welfare — yet  we 
admire  the  spirit.  Loyalty  for  Japan  means  sinking  the  indi- 
vidual welfare  for  the  sake  of  the  common  weal.  Their 
scientific  trend  of  mind — the  kind  of  mind  that  set  up  abso- 
lutely new  standards  in  hygienic  conditions  for  their  armies 
— will  likely  make  their  Christianity,  if  less  emotional,  yet 
also  less  dogmatic  than  that  of  our  own  land.  They  have 
made  courtesy  an  art.  And  when  we  see  how  they  appreciate 
the  grain  in  large  panels  of  unvarnished  wood;  how  the 
mothers  in  a  railway  train  hold  up  their  babes  to  see  the 
much-loved  plum  or  cherry  blossoms ;  or  how  invariably  the 
hillside  temple  has  found  just  the  most  fitting  location 
amongst  the  cryptomarias,  we  can  thank  God  for  their  love 
of  nature,  which  may  yet  enable  them  to  help  us  to  behold 
the  King  in  his  beauty. 

Latin  America  contains  a  civilization  rich  in  the  inheritance 
of  culture.  We  shall  find  there  quickness  of  perception, 
acuteness  of  analysis,  powers  of  imagination,  grace  of  man- 
ner, and  a  spirit  of  chivalry.  The  Latin-American  is  willing 
to  share  with  us  his  passion  for  the  beautiful  in  art,  in  music, 
and  in  literature. 

And  how  about  Africa — has  it  any  gifts  for  the  world? 
A  woman  recently  said,  as  she  handed  over  a  large  sum  of 

10  ••  World  Missionary  Conference,"  igio.  Vol.  I,  p.  85. 

41 


[II-c]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

money  to  aid  an  industrial  school,  "Yes,  I  think  I  must  help 
the  Negroes;  they  laugh  so  much."  To  laugh — especially  to 
laugh  so  much — is  to  do  something  which  needs  doing  in 
every  community  and  every  nation.  Dispositions  that  are 
sunny,  optimistic,  and  that  can  see  the  joy  in  life;  tempera- 
ments that  are  kindly  and  find  none  insufferable ;  capacity 
for  contentment  in  spite  of  untoward  conditions — how  can 
the  world  do  without  these?  "Surely  the  Negro  contributes 
to  American  life  a  iight-heartedness  which  otherwise  it  sadly 
lacks. 

Many  hold  that  the  Negro  is  the  only  grateful  race  and  say 
that  the  fidelity  shown  by  the  carriers  of  Livingstone's  dead 
body  is  characteristic  of  the  people.  Manifest  to  all  is  their 
willingness  to  forgive  and  to  forget  injuries.  And  who  does 
not  pay  tribute  to  their  talent  for  music?  Visitors  come 
back  from  the  commencement  exercises  at  Hampton  or 
Tuskegee  testifying  to  the  real  religious  power  in  those 
Negro  melodies  in  whose  recovery  we  are  beginning  to  take 
an  interest.  There  is,  furthermore,  a  sincerity  and  reality 
about  their  religious  experience.  If  you  would  see  this  for 
yourself,  listen  to  that  African  woman  praying  for  a  man 
that  had  just  confessed  Christ:  "O,  God,  this  man  has  given 
you  his  heart  that  it  may  become  your  house.  Now,  God, 
sweep  your  house  clean."  Or  hear  the  testimony  of  the  head 
of  one  of  our  African  missions,  which  has  its  work  far  in- 
land, when  he  says  that  if  he  wanted  to  be  warmed  in  his 
spiritual  life  he  would  choose  not  Keswick  or  Northfield,  but 
a  Christian  prayer  meeting  in  the  heart  of  Africa,  amongst 
a  people — he  adds — untouched  as  yet  by  whites.  They  un- 
doubtedly need  wise  direction  as  to  the  ends  to  which  reli- 
gion should  minister  and  as  to  the  modes  of  expression  it 
should  take.  But  what  we  are  here  emphasizing  is  their 
capacity  for  religion.  The  Baganda  Christian,  we  are  told, 
has  an  intense  realization  of  the  personality  and  the  omnip- 
otence of  God,  and  a  vivid  sense  of  His  love  and  care  for 
his  people  in  all  the  affairs  of  life — a  real  emphasis  one 
might  expect  from  a  people  trained  in  animism. 

V 

From  this  week's  study  we  have  seen  that,  in  order  to 
possess  the  mind  of  a  Christian  world  citizen,  it  is  desirable 
frankly    to    recognize   the   gifts    and    contributions    of    other 

42 


RESPECT  FOR  OTHER  PEOPLES  [II-c] 

peoples  and  to  have  a  profound  expectation  that  their  appro- 
priative  capacity  for  the  riches  of  their  Father  has  no  known 
limit.  It  means  that  the  human  nature  of  a  distant  people 
is  put  on  a  level  of  possibility  with  our  own ;  it  means  that 
we  do  not  begrudge  the  acknowledgment  of  the  moral  and 
spiritual  values  which  they  have  already  attained ;  it  means 
that  we  are  drawn  on  by  what  through  God's  grace  mankind 
may  become. 

For  the  individual  this  view  involves  that  in  the  progres- 
sive enlargement  of  the  self  he  shall  learn  not  merely  to 
tolerate,  but  to  appreciate  and  admire.  He  will  recognize 
that  each  of  these  peoples  has  an  aspect  which  they  reveal 
only  to  those  they  love. 

We  look  at  other  peoples  through  the  colored  glasses  of 
our  own  temperaments,  but  a  hard  and  unsympathetic  spirit 
can  never  disclose  another's  inner  life.  Will  it  not  also 
take  the  metallic  ring  from  much  of  our  social  service  if 
we  pause  to  acknowledge  the  diversity  of  gifts  which  God 
has  bestowed  upon  his  children?  When  it  is  no  longer  pos- 
sible for  us,  with  imagined  superiority,  to  say,  "We  have 
no  need  of  thee,"  then  the  very  phrase,  social  service,  is  in- 
creasingly displaced  by  the  words  "Christian  friendship."  And 
how  are  we  to  maintain  a  keen  and  sensitive  appreciation 
of  the  needs  of  others,  apart  from  a  lofty  view  of  their 
capacities  and  a  genuine  reverence  for  their  possibilities? 
This  view,  furthermore,  will  afifect  the  education  of  our  chil- 
dren, for  it  will  remove  one  of  the  grounds  for  arrogant 
race  pride  and  race  prejudice.  We  will  strive  to  instill  in 
them  the  spirit  of  brotherhood  as  an  attitude  of  mind  made 
habitual  through  little  courtesies  to  foreigners  in  street  cars 
or  through  reactions'  to  world  news  in  the  morning's  paper. 

For  our  nation  it  will  mean  emphasis  upon  international 
cooperation  and  mutual  obligation  rather  than  upon  mere 
national  exaltation.  We  have  been  all  too  slow  in  realizing 
that  we  have  something  to  learn  from  the  Orient,  from 
Africa,  from  Latin  America.  A  readiness  to  acknowledge 
the  values  in  each  of  the  other  peoples  ought  to  be  one 
of  the  foundation  stones  of  our  larger  internationalism.  The 
opposite  policy  of  resting  back,  complacent  over  our  own 
standards,  is  what  leads  to  national  decay,  while  exaggerated 
racial  vanity  and  unfounded  national  pretension  form  the 
very  atmosphere  of  war.     And  if  as  a  people  we  have  any- 

43 


[II-c]  MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

thing  to  give  to  other  nations,  we  will  succeed  better  by- 
fixing  attention  not  on  their  weaknesses  but  rather  on  their 
capacities  for  growth.  Surely  modern  philanthropy  has 
worked  out  one  lesson  that  must  be  taken  over  by  the  world 
workers — that  if  we  would  do  good  to  another,  whether 
an  individual  or  a  nation,  we  must  see  in  that  one  a  brother, 
and  must  emphasize  that  brother's  possibilities.  Not  to  be- 
lieve in  another  people  and  give  to  them  the  resulting  chance 
leads  to  imperialism  and  autocracy.  We  shall  make  little 
progress  toward  a  world  democracy  until  nations  body  forth 
an  attitude  of  mutual  respect  and  sympathy  and  confident 
expectation  toward  one  another. 

For  the  Church  it  will  mean  the  popularization  of  the 
evidences  of  racial  capacity  amongst  our  citizens.  Just  as 
it  was  necessary  for  the  Moravians  in  the  early  eighteenth 
century  to  prove  to  the  Church  that  Negroes  could  be  up- 
lifted, so  now  is  it  necessary  for  the  Church  to  show  the 
world  that  backward  peoples  may  become  "new  creatures." 
As  long  as  men  of  big  business  have  the  underlying  convic- 
tion that  these  peoples  are  really  not  worth  while,  how  can 
we  expect  them  to  be  interested  in  serious  efforts  for  their 
rehabilitation?  The  facts  of  the  social  and  religious  results 
of  missions  must  be  popularized  by  the  Church.  The  Church 
should  make  every  effort  to  bring  the  press  of  Christian 
nations  up  to  this  Christian  standard  of  the  international 
mind.  The  papers  should  faithfully  mirror  the  finest  spirit 
and  ideals  of  other  peoples.  They  should  be  bridges  across 
the  Pacific  and  tunnels  under  the  Atlantic,  by  means  of 
which  the  highest  interchange  possible  may  eagerly  be  sought. 

But  it  is  not  enough  to  refrain  from  dwelling  on  our  inter- 
national dislikes,  nor  even  to  become  the  dispensers  of  inter- 
racial admirations.  As  Christians  with  a  fundamentally 
religious  conviction  of  the  gifts  with  which  each  member  is 
endowed,  v/e  have  a  still  more  imperative  duty.  We  must 
call  forth  and  use  every  worthful  faculty  in  fellow-members 
of  the  great  society.  Still  more,  as  Christians  in  our  cor- 
porate capacity  as  a  Church,  we  must  elicit  and  utilize  the 
national  gifts  of  other  peoples,  however  despised  and  ignored 
by  the  unchristianized  public  opinion  of  dominant  Western 
powers  these  peoples  may  now  be.  The  Church  should 
help  the  nations  to  see  how  many  and  how  varied  are  the 
members  that  go  to  make  up  a  body  and  how  vital  for  the 

44 


RESPECT  FOR  OTHER  PEOPLES  [II-c] 

common  good  are  aptitudes  which  we  do  not  possess.  The 
Church  should  fire  the  imagination  of  mankind  with  the 
glorious  vision  of  a  democracy  of  God,  into  which  shall  have 
been  brought  the  life  and  thought  and  talents  of  every  sec- 
tion of  the  human  race  as  transformed  by  Jesus  Christ. 

For  the  foi-eign  missions  of  the  Church,  it  means  for  some 
a  change  m  attitude.  Phillips  Brooks  came  to  a  point  where 
he  saw  that  boys  are  white  spotted  black,  not  black  spotted 
white.  Something  of  this  sort  of  change  is  needed  in  our 
attitude  to  many  to  whom  we  go  as  missionaries.  A  Japanese 
convert,  speaking  to  an  American  audience,  said,  "If  we 
heathen  are  but  slightly  better  than  gibbons  or  chimpanzees, 
the  Christians  may  give  up  their  mission  work  as  a  failure. 
It  is  because  we  know  something  of  right  and  wrong,  truth 
and  falsehood  that  we  are  readily  brought  to  the  cross  of 
■Christ.  I  sincerely  believe  that  the  Christian  mission  based 
upon  no  higher  motive  than  pity  for  heathen  may  have  its 
support  entirely  withdrawn  \^^ithout  much  detriment  either  to 
the  sender  or  the  sent."  More  and  more  the  prevalent  atti- 
tude of  the  missionary  to  the  people  to  whom  he  goes,  some- 
times from  compulsion  but  more  often  from  the  more  Chris- 
tian spirit  of  our  time,  is  that  of  friend  and  brother  rather 
than  that  of  patronizing  superiority. 

What  an  international  opportunity  the  twenty-five  thousand 
missionaries  have,  as  they  travel  back  and  forth  between  the 
nations  as  so  many  shuttles  weaving  the  fabric  of  good  will ! 
If  they  are  true  to  their  great  privilege  they  will  fill  their 
reports,  addresses,  and  books  not  alone  with  the  worst  and 
darkest  aspects  of  the  people  amongst  whom  they  live,  but  as 
true  friends  of  both  East  and  West  will  also  mutually  inter- 
pret the  best  of  each  to  the  other.  It  is  the  absence  of  this 
particular  mark  of  a  Christian  mind  in  so  much  of  the  mis- 
sionary literature  of  the  past  that  drives  many  a  leader  to 
choose  from  amongst  the  supplementary  geographical  books 
of  the  common  schools  for  a  wholesome  impartial  picture 
of  other  lands.  It  is  its  presence  in  Miss  Jean  Mackenzie's 
"Black  Sheep"  which  makes  us  long  for  more  such  books. 
Conscious  only  of  possessing  the  most  precious  Treasure  in 
all  the  world,  we  will  seek  to  share  that  Treasure.  But  in 
sharing  we  will  realize  that  we  have  this  Treasure  through 
no  merit  of  our  own,  and  that  on  distinctly  lesser  levels  than 
that  of  Jesus  there  will  be  a  true  interchange. 

45 


[II-c]  MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

TOPICS  FOR  DISCUSSION 

1.  What  are  the  considerations  for  and  against  the  follow- 
ing propositions:  (a)  that  God  has  given  ten  talents  to 
the  whites  but  to  the  yellow  and  the  black  races  only  two 
and  one?  (b)  that  five  and  two  and  one  talent  men  may  be 
found  fairly  equally  amongst  all  races? 

2.  Draw  two  lines,  the  relative  length  of  which  would 
roughly  represent  your  idea  of  the  relative  racial  attainments 
of  Africa  and  America. 

3.  If  all  mankind  has  not  the  capacity  for  a  boundless 
appropriation  of  the  life  of  God,  then  what  is  the  rationale 
of  the  Church's  work  abroad?  If  man  has  this  capacity, 
and  God  the  will  to  help,  what  prevents  the  realization  of  the 
ideal? 

4.  How  would  you  criticize  this  statement:  "If  a  people 
be  so  low  mentally  as  to  be  incapable  of  being  trusted  with 
leadership  at  the  start,  it  is  better  to  abandon  them  for  the 
present  and  instead  to  concentrate  on  more  strategic  fields"? 

5.  In  what  sense  was  Israel  a  chosen  people? 

6.  How  would  you  illustrate  and  explain  the  following 
statement:  "The  Spirit  of  Christ  will  find  less  to  do  along 
certain  lines  in  perfecting  the  adherents  of  some  of  the 
ethnic  religions  than  He  discovers  in  many  of  us,  the  products 
of  generations  of  imperfectly  applied  Christianity"?  (World 
Missionary  Conference,  1910,  vol.  9,  p.  167). 

7.  Would  the  missionary  enterprise  today  be  more  success- 
ful if  it  faced  a  blank  and  universal  heathenism  untouched 
by  this  ever-present  witness  in  other  religions?     Why? 

8.  Does  the  recognition  of  truth  and  attainments  in  non- 
Christian  peoples  weaken  or  strengthen  your  missionary  in- 
terest?    Why?  ^ 

9.  What  is  there  to  criticize  in  the  position  that  a  missionary 
should  have  as  his  ideal  to  learn  as  well  as  to  teach? 

10.  Formulate  a  statement  of  the  attitude  a  missionary 
should  take  toward  non-Christian  religions. 

11.  In  what  specific  ways  may  we  show  our  realization  that 
our  work  amongst  other  peoples  must  be  a  continuation  of 
the  work  which  the  divine  Spirit  has  already  accomplished? 

12.  What  would  be  the  effect  of  introducing  into  the  prob- 
lems of  present-day  politics  the  recognition  of  distinctive 
national  gifts? 

46 


CHAPTER  III 

Responsiveness  to  Human  Need 

-  If,  however,  these  peoples  have  such  great  gifts  and  contri- 
butions as  were  indicated  in  the  last  chapter,  why  do  we  need 
to  do  anything  for  them?  What  is  the  use  of  worrying 
about  their  welfare?  This  brings  us  to  the  third  element 
in  the  mind  of  a  world  Christian — the  capacity  for  a  sympa- 
thetic response  to  need. 

To  test  one's  capacity  for  visioning  the  world's  great  needs, 
suppose  we  imagine  ourselves  high  enough  up  and  far  enough 
away  from  our  little  globe  to  see  it  as  a  whole.  Let  us 
imagine  we  are  looking  back  on  old  Earth  from  some  dis- 
tant point  in  space.  Each  day  we  could  see  the  continents 
brought  one  after  the  other  before  our  vision,  as  the  earth 
slowly  rotated  beneath  us.  The  really  significant  thing,  how- 
ever, would  not  be  oceans  and  continents,  rivers  and  valleys, 
but  living  individualities  with  their  joys  and  sorrows,  their 
aspirations  and  defeats,  their  racial  attainments  and  deficien- 
cies, their  intergroup  loyalties  and  their  implacable  mutual 
enmities. 

This  week,  from  :uch  a  distant  vantage-point  we  are  going 
to  concentrate  our  thought  in  sympathetic  meditation  upon 
the'  human  needs  of  the  folk  upon  that  ball.  Each  day  as 
the  globe  revolves  beneath  us,  bearing  with  it  its  myriad 
bits  of  life,  we  will  fix  our  mind  on  one  aspect  of  mankind's 
deficiency.  It  will  be  found  that  all  human  need  of  whatever 
kind  can  be  comprehended  under  one  or  the  other  aspect 
of  this  sevenfold  survey.^  But  while  perforce  in  the  few 
lines  given  to  each  day  we  must  deal  in  generalizations,  let 
us  not  forget  to  look  closely  and  see  the  real  flesh-and-blood 
men  and  women  and  children  to  whom  these  needs  are  sadly 
the  poignant  realities  of  their  lives.  No  attempt  has  been 
made  to  give  concrete  illustrations  in  this  chapter.  The 
object  is  rather  to  survey  the  scope  of  human  need.     If  we 

iSee  Albion  W.  Small,  "General  Sociology." 

47 


[III-i]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

are  to  become  world  Christians  we  must  increasingly  study 
other  peoples,  their  conditions  and  needs.  To  this  end  we 
need  outlines  into  which  we  can  fit  our  information  and 
which  will  give  perspective. 

May  God  help  us  to  look  down  upon  the  world  more  nearly 
with  the  tender  compassion  that  he  must  feel !  And  as  we 
run  over  in  outline  its  varied  need,  and  lay  our  lives  along- 
side those  of  other  lands,  let  us  ask  continually:  Do  I  care? 
Could  I  help?  Have  I  anything  in  my  experience  to  meet 
such  conditions?     Would  Jesus  have? 

Third  Week,  First  Day :  The  Healing  of  the  Nations 

And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Go  and  tell 
John  the  things  which  ye  hear  and  see:  the  blind  receive 
their  sight,  and  the  lame  walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed, 
and  the  deaf  hear,  and  the  dead  are  raised  up,  and  th« 
poor  have  good  tidings  preached  to  them.  And  blessed 
is  he,  whosoever  shall  find  no  occasion  of  stumbling  in 
me. — Matt,  ii :  4-6. 

Have  you  ever  stopped  to  think  how  much  of  the  Bible 
is  taken  up  with  concerns  of  health?  Over  one-fortieth  of 
the  Old  Testament  is  absorbed  in  careful  rules  regarding 
sanitation,  contagion,  disinfection,  the  disposition  of  refuse, 
quarantine,  uncleanness,  and  the  enjoining  of  rest.  Health 
was  by  no  means  a  matter  of  disregard.  Furthermore,  it  has 
always  been  a  comfort  to  see  what  compassion  Christ  had 
for  the  physical  needs  of  men.  Four-fifths  of  his  recorded 
miracles  had  to  do  with  the  relief  of  men's  bodies.  We,  too, 
must  have  the  Old  Testament's  passion  for  prevention  and 
Christ's  faith  to  cure. 

And  now,  as  from  our  distant  vantage-point  we  lock  down 
upon  the  world,  our  attention  is  directed  to  one  favored 
continent.  We  can  see  dotted  everywhere  over  its  expanse 
health  resorts,  athletic  sports,  gymnastics,  physical  culture, 
hospitals,  dispensaries,  ambulances,  first  aid,  instructed  police, 
and  doctors  within  ready  call  of  any  who  need.  The  labor 
day  has  been  shortened ;  domestic  science  departments  have 
been  added  to  the  schools ;  garbage  is  removed ;  parks  and 
playgrounds,  baths  and  waterworks  systems  abound.  Acci- 
dents are  safeguarded,  dangerous  occupations  are  protected, 
contagious  diseases  are  quarantined,  and  public  and  private 

48 


RESPONSIVENESS  TO  HUMAN  NEED    [III-i] 

sanitation  is  enforced.  We, possibly  begin  to  wonder  at  the 
achievements  of  mankind  in  promoting  heaUh. 

But  wait.  Old  earth  is  turning  down  there  and  bringing 
other  continents  into  view.  And  now  what  a  difference ! 
Here  is  a  land  crowded  with  some  four  hundred  millions, 
here  another  with  over  three  hundred  millions,  and  over 
there  a  big  dark  continent,  not  so  crowded,  but  most  desolate 
of  all.  Only  with  the  closest  looking  can  we  detect  any  of 
the  things  we  saw  at  first.  We  know  they  long  for  healing, 
for  we  can  make  out  witch  doctors,  and  medicine  men,  and 
smallpox  gods,  and  even  mere  pictures  hung  up  by  windows 
to  scare  away  the  evil  spirits  of  disease.  But  how  does  it 
come  that  these  people  are  left  to  fight  disease  with  un- 
scientific and  superstitious  practices,  and  that  almost  every- 
where the  majority  must  die  without  any  competent  medical 
assistance? 

Only  here  and  there  in  these  vast  countries  do  we  detect 
brave  struggles  with  disease  made  by  representatives  sent 
forth  by  the  people  of  more  favored  lands.  Here,  for  ex- 
ample, are  whole  districts  where  plague  is  raging.  To  the 
people  it  is  some  mysterious  and  invisible  specter  that  stalks 
at  will  from  house  to  house  taking  whom  it  chooses.  They 
gaze  appalled  and  helpless  as  one  after  another  is  snatched 
away,  until  as  many  as  a  million  in  a  single  year  have  gone. 
How  we  rejoice  to  detect  that  love  has  begun  its  work  and 
under  the  constructive,  resourceful  faith  of  certain  men  and 
women  houses  have  been  evacuated,  inoculation  has  been 
given,  and  sanitation  has  been  started.  As  a  result  here 
and  there  a  village — usually  a  Christian  village — stands  un- 
scathed amidst  the  decimated  district — an  object  lesson  to 
the  whole  countryside. 

If  we  should  try  to  count  the  representatives  of  Christian 
forces  who  as  doctors  are  attempting  to  share  their  attain- 
ments in  promoting  health,  we  would  find  only  a  thousand 
such  medical  missionaries  in  all  the  non-Christian  world.  In 
these  isolated  centers  the  blind  receive  their  sight  and  the 
lame  walk,  but  why  should  such  great  expanses  be  without 
any  help?  Surely  the  Maker  of  it  all  cannot  desire  his  living 
creatures  to  be  born  into  and  to  live  under  the  conditions 
that  now  exist.  Have  you  a  real  gospel  for  the  sick  and  the 
wounded  of  the  world?  Have  you  a  vivid  picture  of  the 
world  as  you  would  like  it  to  be? 

49 


[III-2]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

Third  Week,  Second  Day :  The  World's  Search  for 
Bread 

Remove  far  from  me  falsehood  and  lies; 

Give  me  neither  poverty  nor  riches; 

Feed  me  with  the  food  that  is  needful  for  me: 

Lest  1  be  full,  and  deny  thee,  and  say,  Who  is  Jehovah? 

Or  lest  I  be  poor,  and  steal. 

And  use  profanely  the  name  of  my  God. — Prov.  30:8,  9. 

Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread. — Matt.  6:11. 

But  whoso  hath  the  world's  goods,  and  beholdeth  his 
brother  in  need,  and  shutteth  up  his  compassion  from 
him,  how  doth  the  love  of  God  abide  in  him? — I  John  3: 17. 

Let  us  look  on  another  aspect  of  world  need  as  the  earth 
rotates  beneath  us  today.  Again  we  see  a  continent  where 
the  methods  and  the  machinery  of  production  and  accumula- 
tion have  reached  extreme  development.  Tools  and  capital, 
skill  and  managerial  ability,  the  use  of  waste  and  by-products, 
division  of  labor,  coordination  of  allied  industries,  means  of 
storing  and  preserving  products,  all  sorts  of  rapid  transpor- 
tation by  water  and  by  land,  commercial  banking,  insurance 
and  saving  institutions — these  are  some  of  the  achievements 
of  modern  nations  in  producing  wealth. 

The  need  on  the  v/hole  in  this  great  continent  is  not  for 
more  property,  but  for  a  widespread  conviction  as  to  the 
significance  of  all  this  material  wealth.  In  the  last  verse  for 
today's  reading,  as  well  as  in  Jesus'  parables  of  the  talents 
and  the  pounds,  it  is  assumed  that  resources  are  a  trust  and 
not  absolute  property.  In  endeavoring  to  develop  spirits 
like  his  own,  God  has  let  us  have  the  use  of  these  material 
things.  In  learning  how  to  use  them  some  of  the  greatest 
lessons  in  earth's  school  are  to  be  learned.  When  will  the 
people  of  this  great  continent,  wealthy  beyond  all  others, 
learn  from  Jesus  that  the  highest  value  of  material  goods  is 
not  in  their  possession  but  in  their  use  in  creathig  love? 
This  continent's  greatest  economic  need  is  to  realize  that  the 
value  of  material  things  lies  in  their  power  not  to  gratify 
personal  tastes,  but  to  promote  and  deepen  human  fellowship. 

But  again,  as  the  earth  turns  on  and  other  continents  come 
into  view  we  see  great  contrasts.  We  behold  in  large  portions 
of  the  non-Christian  world  the  dreadful  pressure  under  which 
they  exist,  causing  them  to  speak  of  so  many  "mouths"  in 

50 


RESPONSIVENESS  TO  HUMAN  NEED    [III-2] 

their  family,  and  in  general  to  construe  all  the  values  of  life 
in  terms  of  one  day's  bread.  It  is  not  mere  depravity  of 
soul  that  causes  those  mothers  in  China  to  expose  their  little 
girls ;  it  is  in  part  due  to  the  grinding,  ever-present  gnawing 
of  economic  need.  The  twenty  wives  of  that  African  polyga- 
mist  do  not  represent  mere  lust,  but  in  part  they  stand  for 
the  cheapest  form  of  labor  where  known  methods  do  not 
permit  one  man  with  one  wife  economically  to  exist.  Over 
there  in  that  famjne-swept  province  you  tcan  see  people 
fighting  over  scraps  of  food,  dogs  eating  bodies  in  the  street, 
and  a  woman  burying  alive  the  child  whose  hungry  cry  she 
can  no  longer  bear.  But  men  in  the  Yangtze  Valley  and 
on  the  plains  of  India  will  always  remain  at  the  mercy  of 
nature  until  accumulation  of  property,  is  possible  to  insure 
them  against  her  irregularities.  A  certain  amount  of  prop- 
erty seems  essential  to  personal  freedom  and  to  all  higher 
individuality. 

Thus  over  vast  areas  one  can  see  men  and  women  and 
children  kept  below  the  poverty  line  because  of  ignorance, 
inefficiency,  and  superstition.  To  these  ancient  causes  are 
being  added  the  more  modern  conditions  of  exploitation  and 
over-population,  due  to  the  way  Western  science  lowers  the 
death  rate  without  checking  the  birth  rate,  and  to  the  failure 
of  the  economically  advanced  nations  to  share  their  construc- 
tive social  solutions. 

In  most  of  Lhe  non-Christian  countries  we  can  see  industrial 
revolution  following  in  the  wake  of  Western  civilization.  Old 
handicraft  systems  are  giving  way  to  factories,  thus  causing 
thousands  of  skilled  workmen  to  readjust.  Populations  tend 
toward  cities  with  the  development  of  industry,  so  that  we 
see  the  Orient  facing  all  the  evils  of  congestion,  faulty  sanita- 
tion, hard  working  conditions,  and  low  wages.  Spinning 
mills  and  silk  filatures  employ  mere  children  by  the  thousands 
every  day — no  age  limit,  no  physician's  certificate,  no  legis- 
latures limiting  hours  of  work.  The  trifling  sum  which 
these  poor  children  bear  back  with  empty  rice  pails  is  so 
coveted  by  competing  youth  that  no  complaint  is  made  of 
twelve-hour  shifts.  How  can  they  be  discontented?  They 
know  no  better;  parents  have  never  seen  the  evil  effects  of 
child  labor  on  individual  and  society,  so  that  they  repeat 
industrial  blunders  involving  physical  deterioration,  illiteracy, 
industrial  inefficiency,  and  low  morals — while  those  who  could 

51 


[III-3]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

help  stand  by.  Why  do  these  more  fortunate  ones  not  share 
the  costly  and  invaluable  lessons  which  have  been  worked 
out  in  their  own  less  cataclysmic  industrial  transition? 

Surely  one  who  believes  in  the  inherent  worth  of  human 
personality  and  the  equal  right  of  each  personality  with 
every  other  to  existence  and  to  whatever  gives  existence 
human  value  must  be  profoundly  moved  by  conditions  which 
leave  vast  multitudes  undervitalized  and  in  abject  need.  For 
there  is  an  economic  level  below  whicl^  a  man  cannot  live 
and  be  what  a  child  of  God  should  be.  A  certain  control 
over  material  goods  is  essential  to  the  appreciation  of  higher 
goods.  And  then  to  realize  that  above  and  in  and  beneath 
the  crust  of  this  old  earth  is  enough  for  all ! 

But  we  are  not  here  talking  about  prevention  and  remedy. 
The  simple  question  is  whether  you  have  the  capacity  of  im- 
agination to  make  these  contrasts  vivid — so  vivid  as  to  be 
painful.  How  can  these  differences  ever  be  harmonized  in 
the  democracy  of  God  until  earnest  people  in  greater  number 
see  and  feel  the  pain  of  glaring  contrasts  on  this  earth?  We 
must  see  the  extent  and  depth  of  poverty  and  the  blight  it 
casts  over  hosts  of  our  fellow-beings ;  we  must  see  as 
starved  personalities  men  meant  to  be  sons  of  God;  we  must 
feel  their  gray,  monotonous  existence  in  toil  that  is  neither 
life  nor  death.  Then  will  be  born  in  every  Christian  a 
righteous  intolerance  and  a  faith  that  finds  a  way.  May  God 
help  us  to  see,  both  in  the  world's  need  and  in  our  supply, 
the  opportunity  to  act  seriously  upon  our  ideal  of  human 
brotherhood ! 

Third  Week,  Third  Day:  Falling  Short  in  Mental 
Stature 

And  ye  shall  know  the  truth,  and  the  truth  shall  make 
you  free. — John  8:32. 

Thou  Shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  .  .  .  with  all  thy 
mind. — Mark   12:30. 

We  believe  that  God  desires  the  unfolding  of  all  the  in- 
tellectual powers  of  man  and  that  any  permanent  upbuilding 
of  Christian  society  involves  the  development  of  the  mind. 
But  as  we  look  out  upon  the  world  what  tremendous  problems 
lie  before  us  in  this  one  realm  of  need!  Two  out  of  three 
inhabitants  of  our  globe  have  still  to  be  taught  how  to  read 

52 


RESPONSIVENESS  TO  HUMAN  NEED    [III-3] 

and  write.  The  United  States  may  send  its  hundreds  of 
teachers  to  the  Philippines  and  make  those  islands  a  world 
model  for  educational  progress,  but  there  are  a  billion  more 
who  need  this  help.  Picture  to  yourself  all  the  kindergartens 
and  primary  schools  in  the  world  and  realize  that  these  must 
be  trebled.  Teachers  must  be  found  and  trained ;  methods 
suited  to  each  land  must  be  worked  out;  educational  systems 
must  be  evolved,  coordinated,  and  financed ;  supervisors  and 
administrators  must  be  developed.  The  long,  long  steps 
both  of  free  and  of  compulsory  education  must  be  taken. 
Schooling  must  not  be  left  as  a  prerogative  of  any  social  or 
religious  class,  and  the  very  content  of  education  must  be 
adjusted  to  the  varying  needs  and  stages  of  differing  peoples, 
so  that  it  will  be  a  real  training  for  the  life  they  must  live. 
These  are  all  needs  which  we,  as  believers  in  the  democracy 
of  God,  must  vision  and  take  into  account. 

Many  of  our  sister  nations  are  awakening,  and  this  renais- 
sance is  bringing  one  of  the  most  significant  phenomena  of 
our  times,  namely,  a  rapid  increase  in  the  number  of  readers 
in  the  world.  This  raises,  however,  new  needs  for  literature 
of  the  right  sort — for  periodicals  and  books,  for  material 
adapted  to  the  needs  of  women  and  children,  for  books 
and  printed  matter  for  schools  and  colleges,  for  literature 
that  will  guide  these  peoples  in  the  construction  of  their 
new  world  order.  Where  men  begin  to  feel  even  the  indirect 
effect  of  the  spirit  of  Christ,  a  host  of  social  and  economic 
problems  open  out  and  literary  material  must  be  provided 
to  help  in  the  solution. 

The  world  has,  furthermore,  a  long  way  yet  to  go  in  mak- 
ing knowledge  accessible.  Even  we  in  the  West  have  by  no 
means  ideal  conditions,  but  before  mankind  can  come  to  its 
own  intellectually  what  vast  numbers  of  institutions  must  be 
reared  up  in  every  land — high  schools,  colleges,  universities, 
chautauquas,  extension  movements,  trade  schools,  evening 
schools,  schools  for  defectives,  museums,  libraries,  improved 
postal  and  telegraph  and  telephone  facilities  as  factors  in  the 
spread  of  knowledge,  and  the  like. 

But  if  this  problem  of  knowledge  for  the  whole  of  the 
world  seems  too  bafflingly  large  we  may  concentrate  on  what 
the  growing  Christian  communities  need.  With  our  accus- 
tomed appeal  to  the  Scriptures  and  insistence  that  each  person 
should  be  able  to  read  them  for  himself,  we  cannot  rest  con- 

53 


[III-4]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

tent  with  baptized  ignorance  and  illiteracy.  Yet  of  the  total 
Christian  body  in  India,  for  example,  only  seventeen  per  cent 
can  read  and  write,  and  communities  amongst  the  "mass 
movements"  may  be  found  vvhere  out  of  6,000  Christian 
children  only  two  are  returned  as  literate.  If  independent, 
self-governing  Christian  communions  anywhere  are  ever  to 
be  developed,  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  leaders 
should  be  provided  and  trained — and  this  must  be  done 
through  education.  Furthermore,  for  the  promotion  of 
Christian  worship,  for  the  conduct  of  their  Sunday  schools, 
for  the  interpretation  of  the  Bible,  and  for  the  upbuilding  of 
their  Christian  life  printed  helps  must  be  provided. 

If  men  are  to  love  God  with  all  their  minds  these  multiform 
needs  must  be  met.  What  does  this. mean  to  you  in  obliga- 
tion?    In  opportunity? 

Third  Week,  Fourth  Day :  Lack  of  Harmony  in  Hu- 
man Relationships 

Thou  shah  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself. — Matt.  22 :  39. 

Even  though  men  of  all  ages  might  agree  that  one  should 
love  one's  neighbor  as  one's  self,  the  vital  consideration,  as 
Jesus  brought  out,  lies  in  the  interpretation  of  what  is  meant 
by  neighbor  and  what  is  meant  by  love.  He  put  new  mean- 
ing into  these  words — into  love,  intensively ;  into  neighbor, 
extensively.  Progress  comes  in  proportion  as  we  see  in- 
creasingly deeper,  richer  interpretations  of  this  great  com- 
mand. In  this  connection  it  is  noteworthy  that  three-quarters 
of  the  teaching  of  Jesus  had  to  do  with  man's  relation  to 
fellowman. 

Taking  the  world  at  large,  human  relationships  are  nowhere 
in  greater  maladjustment  than  are  those  between  man  and 
woman.  Yet  the  breath  of  new  ambitions  is  stirring  everj'^- 
where  amongst  the  women  of  the  world.  It  is  a  long,  long 
way,  however,  that  these  excluded,  secluded,  subjugated  dis- 
tant sisters  of  ours  have  to  come !  For  sixty  years  the  re- 
marriage of  Indian  widows  has  had  legal  sanction,  but  public 
opinion  still  causes  25,000,000  of  them  to  serve  out  their 
cheerless  unhappy  lives.  We  rejoice  that  "golden  lilies"  are 
somewhat  less  admired  than  they  used  to  be  in  some  parts 
of  China,  but  foot-binding  is  still  one  of  the  social  evils  of 

54 


RESPONSIVENESS  TO  HUMAN  NEED    [III-5] 

that  land.  Many  a  helping  hand  should  be  ready  to  assist 
those  women  who  attempt  to  break  the  way  from  a  Hindu 
courtyard  or  a  Muhammadan  zenana  to  positions  of  equality 
of  opportunity  with  men.  Child  marriage  and  child-widows, 
polygamy  and  concubinage,  temple-girls  and  arbitrary  divorce 
— these  are  only  some  of  the  familiar  and  age-long  wrongs 
of  womanhood.  Needs  on  so  vast  a  scale  can  only  be  com- 
passed by  a  thoroughgoing  revaluation  of  personality  in  terms 
of  Christ.  What  increments  of  love  and  beauty  and  good 
may  we  not  expect  when  the  womanhood  of  the  world  is 
released  and  honored  and  given  her  democratic  chance ! 

Men  need  to  learn  what  it  means  to  love  one  another  in 
the  labor  world.  Arbitration  laws,  homestead  laws,  checks 
on  the  oppressive  power  of  capitalistic  or  labor  organizations 
are  needed  the  world  around.  Yet  some  of  the  sorest  spots 
are  in  our  sister  nations  where  exploitation  of  labor  has  had 
n^  check.  "Industrial  democracy"  is  a  phrase  that  must  be 
given  intelligible  content  and  definite  embodiment  throughout 
the  world,   "beginning  at  Jerusalem." 

Preeminently  impressive  in  these  days  are  the  needs  aris- 
ing from  lack  of  obedience  to  Christ's  command  amongst  the 
nations.  Here  privileges,  rights,  and  obligations  must  be 
worked  out,  a  Christian  ethic  for  nations  must  be  evolved, 
and  foreign  policies  and  international  relations  must  be  com- 
pletely democratized.  A  problem  which  especially  needs  solu- 
tion is  that  of  the  relation  of  nations  in  the  international  law- 
group  to  backward  and  dependent  peoples.  What  shall  be 
their  status  and  with  what  motives  shall  they  be  approached? 

As  you  face  this  aspect  of  world  need,  have  you  the  faith 
to  believe  in  the  final  victory  of  God's  social  order?  Are 
you  willing  to  help  discover  and  then  to  establish  that  order 
without  which  the  greatest  good  cannot  be  realized  for 
humanity? 

Third   Week,   Fifth   Day:   Arousing   Response   ta 
God's  Beauty 

The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God; 

And  the  firmament  showeth  his  handiwork. 

Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech, 

And  night  unto  night  showeth  knowledge. 

There  is  no  speech  nor  language; 

Their  voice  is  not  heard. 

55 


[III-5]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

Their  line  is  gone  out  through  all  the  earth, 

And  their  words  to  the  end  of  the  world. 

In  them  hath  he  set  a  tabernacle  for  the  sun, 

Which  is  as  a  bridegroom  coming  out  of  his  chamber, 

And  rejoiceth  as  a  strong  man  to  run  his  course. — Psalm 

19:  1-5. 
One  thing  have  I  asked  of  Jehovah,  that  will  I  seek  after: 
That  I  may  dwell  in  the  house  of  Jehovah  all  the  days  of 

my  life, 
To  behold  the  beauty  of  Jehovah. — Psalm  27:  4. 

Protestantism  is  not  used  to  looking  upon  the  esthetic 
as  comprising  a  realm  of  need  in  the  world.  Nor  perhaps 
would  anyone  evaluate  this  need  as  at  all  so  vital  as  others 
of  the  seven  we  are  considering.  And  yet  for  completeness 
let  us  realize  that  response  to  the  wondrous  beauty  God  has 
provided  or  inspired  is  part  of  the  conception  of  a  saved 
man.  Ability  to  see  God  in  and  to  worship  God  through 
paintings  and  sculpture,  music  and  architecture,  nature  and 
literature,  is  certainly  one  element  in  the  Kingdom.  Art  has 
always  helped  religion  by  developing  forms  of  decoration 
and  of  architecture  suited  to  the  needs  of  worship  and  by 
preserving  in  picture  and  in  music  suggestions  of  spiritual 
experience. 

But  art  has  a  rightful  place  in  this  statement  of  sevenfold 
need  for  its  own  sake  apart  from  what  it  contributes  to  reli- 
gion. For  we  are  vibratory  instruments  created  for  attune- 
ment  with  beauty  and  with  truth.  The  intellect  can  grasp 
only  part  of  experience.  Impersonal  analysis  and  inductive 
conclusion  do  not  give  all  of  life.  There  is  a  realm  where 
response  and  sympathetic  insight  must  be  the  ways  for  deal- 
ing with  experience. 

As  we  think  over  the  varied  realms  of  beauty  which  God 
has  made  possible,  and  measure  attainment  against  man's 
potential  capacity,  we  realize  how  far  short  we  have  come 
from  God's  ideal  for  us.  The  development  of  human  capacity 
for  appreciating  beauty  opens  out  another  cross-section  of 
world  need.  Among  God's  ministers  are  those  who  give 
forms  of  beauty  to  the  things  we  use  as  tools  or  which  in 
various  ways  make  up  our  environment.  The  working-girl 
witnessed  to  a  God-given  hunger  when  she  said,  "Give  us 
bread,  but  give  us  roses,  too."  While  acknowledging  that 
there  are   more  urgent  needs,   may   it   not  be  possible   that 

56 


RESPONSIVENESS  TO  HUMAN  NEED     [III-6] 

with  reference  to  beauty  in  library  and  in  conservatory,  in 
picture  and  in  building,  in  garden  and  in  city,  it  may  be  said 
to  us,  "These  ought  ye  to  have  done,  and  not  to  leave  the 
other  undone"  (Luke  ii :  42)  ? 

Third  Week,  Sixth  Day:  The  Tragedy  of  Misdi- 
rected Souls 

And  even  as  they  refused  to  have  God  in  their  knowl- 
edge, God  gave  them  up  unto  a  reprobate  mind,  to  do 
those  things  which  are  not  fitting;  being  filled  with  all 
unrighteousness,  wickedness,  covetousness,  maliciousness; 
full  of  envy,  murder,  strife,  deceit,  malignity;  whisperers, 
backbiters,  hateful  to  God,  insolent,  haughty,  boastful, 
inventors  of  evil  things,  disobedient  to  parents,  without 
understanding,  covenant-breakers,  without  natural  affec- 
tion, unmerciful :  who,  knowing  the  ordinance  of  God,  that 
they  that  practice  such  things  are  worthy  of  death,  not 
only  do  the  same,  but  also  consent  with  them  that  prac- 
tice them. — Rom.  i :  28-32. 

To  Paul,  as  to  every  person  whose  judgment  has  been 
sharpened  through  contact  with  Jesus  Christ,  the  sin  of  the 
world  presents  an  overwhelming  need.  In  this  ugly  fact  is 
found  the  world's  greatest  shortcoming.  This  has  been 
especially  plain  since  1914.  And  here  we  become  one  with 
all  the  world,  and  in  all  humility  are  not  interested  in  saying 
whether  the  mote  or  the  beam  is  most  found  in  the  eyes  of 
other  peoples.  When  measuring  one's  distance  from  the 
sun  it  little  becomes  the  man  on  a  mountain-peak  to  exult 
over  his  brother  in  the  valley.  "For  all  have  sinned,  and 
come  short  of  the  glory  of  God"   (Rom.  3:23). 

We  believe  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  a  growing,  vital, 
living,  dynamic  moral  order  for  the  world.  We  believe  that 
God  is  supremely  interested  in  its  growth.  We  believe  that 
for  our  understanding  of  this  order  the  significance  of  Jesus 
Christ  is  normative.  Sin  for  every  one  is  the  placing  of 
selfish  ends  above  the  claims  of  love  and  duty.  Sin  for  the 
one  who  has  known  Christ  is  the  departure  from  the  life 
and  purpose  revealed  in  him,  whether  this  departure  is  on 
the  part  of  the  individual  or  of  the  society.  And  since  the 
life  of  Christ  is  best  expressed  by  love,  and  since  the  end  to 
be  supremely  sought  is  the  reign  of  God  on  earth,  the  great 
sin  is  the  choosing  of  any  end  lower  than  the  Kingdom  of 

57 


IIII-7]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

God.  Sin  for  the  individual  means  failure  to  realize  God's 
ideal  for  human  nature,  and  brings  the  resulting  social  conse- 
quences of  misery,  degradation,  and  death.  Sin  for  society 
— the  group  or  nation — means  the  failure  to  organize  accord- 
ing to  Christ's  principles  and  to  embody  his  spirit  in  every 
relationship. 

In  every  land  we  find  sheer  badness — deeds  and  lives  that 
are  reprehensible  and  worthy  of  condemnation.  In  every 
land  we  find  men  and  women  doing  things  which  are  a  contra- 
diction of  the  nature,  the  powers,  the  destinies  of  mankind. 
In  every  land,  whether  in  spite  of  much  or  little  light,  men 
are  making  the  morally  inferior  choice.  In  every  land  men 
are  refusing  to  conform  unto  God's  will  and  are  disobeying 
his  known  commands.  And  these  things  constitute  sin — 
they  make  abundant  life  impossible. 

As  one  goes  about  the  world,  tokens  abound  on  every  side 
of  this  burden  caused  by  sin,  and  the  longing  for  adjustment 
with  the  Divine.  One  out  of  every  sixty  in  India  leads  the 
fakir's  life ;  by  actual  estimate  $5,000,000  was  spent  in  a 
single  year  in  a  certain  Chinese  city  on  idolatrous  practices. 
Bells  and  prayer-wheels  and  temple  drums ;  pilgrimages  and 
bathing  ghats ;  smoldering  ashes  by  the  Ganges  and  reiterated 
cries  to  Amada  Buddha  or  Sita  Ram ;  idols  and  asceticism, 
fastings  and  washings ;  stately  mosques  and  rock-cut  temples ; 
spires  and  minarets  and  high  pagodas — all  these  reveal  man's 
greatest  universal  need,  the  need  of  a  savior  from  an  exist- 
ence of  sin  and  failure  to  a  more  abundant  victorious  life 
in   fellowship   with  God. 

Have  mercy  upon  us,  O  God,  according  to  thy  lovingkind- 
ness;  according  to  the  multitude  of  thy  tender  mercies  blot 
•out  our  transgressions.  Wash  us  thoroughly  from  our 
iniquity,  and  cleanse  us  from  our  sin;  for  zve  acknowledge 
our  transgressions ;  and  our  sin  is  ever  before  us. 

Third  Week,  Seventh  Day;  Orphans  in  a  Father's 
World 

And  this  is  life  eternal,  that  they  should  know  thee 
the  only  true  God,  and  him  whom  thou  didst  send,  even 
Jesus  Christ. — John  17:3. 

Today  let  us  center  our  thought  upon  the  more  strictly 
religious  needs  of  men.     Once  again  return  to  that  distant 

58 


RESPONSIVENESS  TO  HUMAN  NEED    [III-7] 

point  in  space  from  which  we  gaze  down  on  our  Httle  orb. 
This  time  we  are  not  looking  at  continents  or  at  bodies  or 
at  schools  but  at  the  faiths  of  men.  We  make  out  at  once 
four  great  groups,  each  containing  over  a  hundred  million 
people — Hinduism,  Buddhism,  Confucianism,  and  Muhamma- 
danism.  And  there  are  other  faiths  as  well — Taoism,  Shinto- 
ism,  Judaism,  Jainism. 

But  the  tremendously  significant  fact  is  that  on  this  ball 
nineteen  hundred  years  ago  the  very  face  of  God  was  uniquely 
revealed  to  men,  and  they  beheld  his  glory.  In  imagination 
you  can  see  a  new  "way"  which  within  three  centuries  spread 
about  the  Mediterranean  basin.  After  a  couple  of  centuries 
more  of  assimilation,  another  era  of  expansion  sent  it 
throughout  all  northern  Europe.  Finally,  in  m.odern  times 
a  third  era  of  Christian  witnessing  began  anew,  to  share  the 
most  precious  experience  of  all  history.  But  even  now  as 
you  look  down  on  this  old  planet  you  can  see  trains  speeding 
over  continents,  ships  ceaselessly  conducting  international 
exchange,  letters  like  myriads  of  shuttles  flying  between  the 
peoples — yet  there  remain  millions,  literally  millions,  who 
have  never  heard  of  Him  who  came  to  be  the  way,  the  truth,, 
and  the  life. 

Dare  one  say  these  other  faiths  are  good  enough?  All 
but  one  of  those  mentioned  above  were  here  when  Christ 
first  came.  Any  argument  that  would  hold  that  these  religions 
are  good  enough  for  mankind  now,  would  indicate  that  they 
were  sufficient  then.  If  the  revelation  of  God  in  Christ  is 
not  needed  by  men  who  hold  these  faiths  now,  it  was  not 
needed  nineteen  hundred  years  ago  when  these  same  faiths 
held  sway  over  the  destinies  of  men.  Not  to  see  the  present- 
day  need  of  the  non-Christian  faiths  is  not  to  see  the  need 
of  the  original  coming  of  the  Christ. 

In  a  later  chapter  we  shall  be  noting  with  some  detail  the 
actual  deep-lying  needs  of  man  which  these  faiths  fail  to  sup- 
ply. Here  we  will  only  emphasize  the  supremeness  of  the  reli- 
gious hunger  of  mankind.  For  while  all  the  needs  at  which 
we  have  been  looking  this  week  must  be  met  in  God's  ideal 
democracy,  yet  we  do  not  evaluate  them  as  being  on  a  level. 
There  are  needs  such  that  if  they  remain  unmet  it  profiteth 
a  man  nothing  to  gain  all  the  rest.  While  firmly  asserting 
that  the  removal  of  each  of  these  seven  needs  is  a  part  of 
the  establishment  of  the  reign  of  God  on  earth,  yet  we  hold 

59 


[III-c]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

that  the  moral  and  the  rehgious  needs  are  incomparably 
more  far-reaching  and  eternally  vital.  Pearl  Mountain  must 
be  reforested;  but  there  is  a  growth  more  precious  still  to 
start  in  China.  Irrigation  canals  must  be  dug  in  India; 
but  there  is  a  water  of  life  that  will  bring  a  richer  harvest 
than  canals  can  ever  supply.  Penny-posts  and  telegraphs  and 
telephones  must  be  installed;  but  there  is  a  quality  of  com- 
munication in  love  that  surpasses  these.  Health  and  wealth 
and  knowledge  and  the  rest,  need  to  be  permeated  with  the 
love  that  cometh  only  from  God.  Is  there,  therefore,  any 
one  but  Christ  who  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world,  and 
who,  if  loyally  loved  and  fully  followed,  can  justify  and 
ennoble  and  accomplish  the  sevenfold  banishment  of  world 
need? 

COMMENT  FOR  THE  WEEK 

It  will  help  to  a  clear  intellectual  mastery  of  world  need 
if  we  hold  in  mind  two  comprehensive  outlines  which  we 
can  apply  to  the  social  attainments  or  needs  of  any  person 
or  nation  or  race.  All  need  may  be  comprehended  under  one 
of  the  following  seven  heads :  Needs  in  the  realm  of  health, 
needs  in  the  realm  of  wealth,  needs  in  the  realm  of  knowl- 
edge, of  harmonizing  human  relations,  of  art,  of  morals,  and 
of  religion.  Or,  in  other  words,  all  needs  may  be  classified 
as  hygienic,  economic,  social,  scientific,  esthetic,  moral,  or 
religious.  We  have  considered  these  needs  successively  in 
our  daily  studies  for  the  week. 

A  second,  helpful,  sevenfold  survey  approaches  the  world 
from  the  standpoint  of  the  seven  differentiated  areas  into 
which  it  may  be  divided.  Can  you  take  these  areas  in  suc- 
cession and  feel  with  them  in  their  need? 


The  needs  of  Japan,  although  directly  affecting  only  one 
twenty-fifth  of  the  human  race,  yet  are  urgent  just  because 
of  Japan's  place  of  leadership.  Her  first  great  problem  is 
one  of  spiritual  adjustment.  Our  sister  nation  across  the 
Pacific  has  no  greater  need  than  the  development  of  a 
spiritual  basis  for  her  great,  new,  surging  life.  Three  great 
religions  are  competing  with  the  one  really  indigenous  faith 
for  the  loj^alty  of  Japan.     But  of  these  Buddhism  and  Con- 

60 


RESPONSIVENESS  TO  HUMAN  NEED     [III-c] 

fucianism  have  already  proved  inadequate  to  the  strain  of 
the  new  day,  as  has  also  the  indigenous  faith,  Shintoism. 
Japanese  are  asking  whether  Christianity  can  provide  that 
foundation  which  they  must  have  for  the  highest  ideals  and 
convictions  and  actions.  Many  thoughtful  leaders  hold  that 
victory  or  defeat  for  Christianity  here  will  have  far-reaching 
results  for  the  whole  of  the  Orient.  Hence  there  is  an 
especial  demand  for  able,  far-sighted,  sympathetic,  thoroughly 
Christian  statesmen  to  present  Christianity  to  this  land. 

A  second  great  set  of  needs  for  Japan  grows  out  of  the 
replacement  of  feudalism  by  industrialism,  causing  her  to 
face  in  a  single  generation  problems  which  our  civilization 
has  been  attempting  to  solve  for  the  past  two  hundred  years. 
The  great  industrial  and  commercial  centers  are  growing 
thirteen  times  as  rapidly  as  the  general  population. .  With  this 
shift  of  population  come  physical  deterioration,  due  to  un- 
healthful  surroundings,  a  rapid  increase  in  woman's  labor, 
the  weakening  of  restraints  associated  with  old  codes  and 
customs,  and  a  new  craving  for  excitement  and  vicious 
pleasures.  The  very  ease  with  which  the  few  have  become 
millionaires  has  fired  the  imaginations  of  a  host  of  young 
aspirants  for  wealth,  so  that  the  trend  everywhere  is  toward 
a  materialistic  outlook  on  life.  With  this  has  developed  a 
"romanticism"  which  amongst  the  young  has  set  aside  many 
of  the  old  restraints,  in  order  to  give  free  play  to  feeling  and 
desire. 

Japan's  third  great  need  arises  from  the  fact  that  she 
has  been  given  the  stewardship  of  subject  races.  Not  only 
has  she  become  directly  responsible  for  Formosa  and  Korea, 
but  the  great  neighboring  nation  of  China  must  inevitably 
be  affected  by  influences  going  forth  from  Japan.  If  these 
influences  are  full  of  help  and  inspiration,  if  Japan  can 
through  unselfish  service  win  the  love  and  confidence  and 
good  will  of  Asiatic  peoples,  a  great  leap  ahead  will  be  made 
into  magnificent  national  leadership. 

II 

Any  person  with  a  scrap  of  imagination  must  be  stirred 
by  the  spectacle  of  China  in  transition.  Here  one-fourth  of 
human  folk  have  more  or  less  unwillingly  given  up  their  age- 
long policy  of  isolation  and  are  being  tossed  and  buffeted 
by  unfamiliar  currents   which  -had   their   origin   in   an   alien 

6i 


IIII-c]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

civilization.  Hence  China  needs  the  friendship  of  unselfish 
peoples.  She  does  not  ask  for  charity,  but  simply  that  the 
so-called  Christian  nations  shall  do  for  her  what,  if  the 
conditions  were  reversed,  we  would  want  her  to  do  for  us. 
We  can  let  American  interests  wring  unjust  concessions  from 
her,  we  can  exploit  her,  but  in  doing  so  we  shall  show  our- 
selves still  pagan.  May  the  precedent  of  our  return  to  China 
of  an  amount  of  the  Boxer  indemnity  in  excess  of  a  just 
:sum  be  the  mere  beginning  of  an  enduring  relation  of  Chris- 
tian friendship. 

In  order  to  change  the  mental  attitude  of  centuries  as  well 
as  to  build  bridges  and  to  start  great  mines,  China  needs  our 
Western  science.  To  educate  her  millions  China  needs  all 
we  can  share  of  educational  leadership.  To  steady  China's 
women  in  their  movement  toward  larger  self-realization  there 
is  needed  all  through  the  land  the  object  lesson  of  the  Chris- 
tian home  and  the  sympathy  and  fellowship  of  Christian 
sisters.  For  science,  for  history,  for  economics,  for  social 
solutions,  for  religion,  China  must  enter  the  world's  great 
school.  The  question  is  whether  she  will  find  friends  with  a 
will  to  share  or  pirates  with  a  will  to  prey. 

A  new  industrial  order  is  beginning  to  crowd  out  old  house- 
hold trades  and  alter  the  predominantly  agricultural  life  of 
the  people.  When  this  fourth  of  the  man-power  of  humanity 
turns  its  stream  of  steady,  cheap,  efficient  labor  into  the 
task  of  transforming  China's  immense  natural  resources,  there 
will  be  need  for  every  social  solution  and  every  social  ideal 
that  Christ  has  ever  inspired  in  the  West.  Are  we  willing 
to  share  what  we  .have  learned  and,  still  better,  lead  the 
people  of  China  to  the  only  One  who  can  inspire  them  to 
their  own  solutions? 

Perhaps  the  greatest  need  of  China  is  for  strong,  able, 
and  disinterested  leaders.  Political  revolutions  have  demon- 
strated that  no  mere  change  in  the  type  of  governmental 
machinery  will  heal  China.  Nothing  less  than  character  is 
demanded.  But  Confucianism,  high  as  its  standard  has 
been  for  the  past,  is  proving  inadequate  to  the  new  demands. 
An  irreligious  spirit  spreads  as  reverence  for  old  sanctions 
passes  away,  and  the  practical  genius  of  the  Chinese  gives 
materialism  an  easy  victory.  There  must  be  a  real  need  here, 
when  recent  events  show  to  demonstration  their  readiness 
to  receive  religion  as  well  as  piachinery  from  the  West. 

62 


RESPONSIVENESS  TO  HUMAN  NEED     [III-c] 

III 

In  India  we  see  a  land  cut  up  by  myriad  divisive  forces  and 
yet  struggling  on  under  British  rule,  through  increasing  con- 
sciousness of  nationality,  toward  self-determination.  It  is  a 
double  struggle.  On  the  one  hand  are  immense  obstacles  to 
nationality  to  be  overcome — the  prejudices  of  Dravidian, 
Indo-Aryan,  and  Mongoloid  racial  stocks ;  the  undemocratic 
compartmental  life  arising  from  3,000  castes ;  the  use  of  150 
languages;  a  marked  tendency  to  break  away  from  anything 
like  good  team  work;  and  the  intense  rivalry  of  religious 
sects.  On  the  other  hand  is  the  struggle  which  Britain  must 
fight  out  in  her  own  conscience  and  the  results  of  which 
must  be  embodied  in  her  policy.  Shall  Britain  think  of  her 
rule  in  India  as  a  stewardship  from  God  and  launch  out  into 
the  task  of  fitting  India  for  highest  self-realization?  Or 
shall  she  yield  only  as  little  and  as  slowly  as  selfish  expediency 
demands?  With  both  these  great  parties,  which  in  God's 
providence  have  been  brought  together  for  the  working  out 
of  destiny,  we  can  have  the  deepest  sympath3^ 

But  apart  from  this  large  political  problem  India  teems 
with  social  need.  Foremost  here  would  be  placed  the  condi- 
tions of  the  depressed  classes,  which  comprise  one  out  of 
every  six  of  India's  317,000,000.  Beneath  even  the  low-caste 
Sudra  are  these  outcastes — little  better  than  serfs  of  the 
soil,  wretched  in  their  poverty  and  ignorance.  The  induc- 
tion of  these  millions  into  their  rights  and  privileges  as 
spiritual  beings  is  one  of  the  reforms  from  which  India  has 
hung  back.  But  Christian  missions  have  stirred  this  class 
with  hope,  so  that  in  seven  well-defined  areas  they  are  placing 
themselves  in  masses  under  Christian  tutelage  and  leadership. 
Before  the  Church  is  thus  placed  a  wide-open,  though  possibly 
transient,  opportunity  of  ministering  to  their  material,  intel- 
lectual, and  religious  progress  and  of  imparting  that  sense 
of  the  dignity  and  worth  of  life  that  comes  from  the  teaching 
and  spirit  of  Christ.  These  "mass  movements"  and  their 
needs  dominate  the  missionary  situation  in  India. 

And  whose  heart  is  not  drawn  out  to  the  cause  of  enrich- 
ing Indian  womanhood?  Wronged  as  the  woman  of  India 
has  been  through  seclusion  and  through  ignorance,  yet  she 
has  shown  such  a  patient,  humble,  unembittered  life  of  self- 
sacrifice  and   religious   devotion  that  her   friends   find   them- 

63 


[IIl-c]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

selves  joyfully  expectant  of  what  she  can  mean  when  re- 
leased in  body,  mind,  and  spirit.  This  will  involve  such 
things  as  the  education  of  women,  for  now  only  one  in  a 
hundred  can  read  and  write ;  marriage  reform,  for  the  child 
widow  and  early  marriage  still  leave  their  train  of  social 
evils  in  that  land ;  and,  above  all,  the  recognition  of  her 
dignity  and  worth  as  a  child  of  God.  The  work  of  war  relief 
has  helped  to  give  an  awakened  consciousness  to  India's 
women,  so  that  the  demand  will  soon  be  vastly  greater  even 
than  at  present  for  an  education  suited  to  her  needs  and 
for  ideals  which  will  have  power  to  steady  her  in  the  new 
paths  upon  which  she  is  entering. 

But  India's  deepest  and  saddest  need  is  connected  with 
the  spirit.  India  has  always  been  characterized  by  a  search 
for  God  and  those  who  know  her  best  know  that  nothing  else 
will  satisfy  her.  India  is  hungry  for  God.  Hinduism,  how- 
ever, is  tottering  to  its  certain  fall.  It  cannot  survive  the 
impact  of  Western  knowledge  and  criticism.  Can  we  be 
content  to  see  religious  indifferentism  settle  down  upon  this 
vast  congeries  of  religious  peoples?  Or  shall  we  satisfy 
the  deepest  longing  of  India's  soul  by  helping  her  to  get  a 
clear  vision  of  the  face  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ  and  of 
abundant  life  through  him? 

IV 

Africa  is  one  vast  continent  of  teeming,  complex  need. 
Within  little  more  than  a  generation  practically  all  of  Africa 
has  passed  under  European  control,  bringing  enormous 
temptations  to  rule  in  the  sole  interest  of  the  white  race, 
but  bringing  also  no  less  enormous  responsibilities  for  just 
and  fair  Christian  treatment  of  these  backward  and  child 
peoples.  Most  pressing  of  all,  perhaps,  is  the  land  problem. 
The  increase  of  white  immigration,  the  ruthless  grasp  of 
syndicated  companies,  the  inability  of  the  old  tribal  system 
of  ownership  to  stand  before  modern  conceptions  of  law,  the 
difficulty  of  establishing  new  systems  of  individual  owner- 
ship, actual  laws  making  it  a  criminal  offence  to  transfer 
or  sell  land  to  a  native,  the  frank  conviction  that  a  lower, 
inefficient  group  should  give  way  to  a  higher  type  of  civiliza- 
tion— these  are  some  of  the  causes  why  the  dispossessed 
African  is  crying  out  for  land.  The  question  is  whether  he 
is  to  become  a  mere  serf  of  the  white  man  with  no  chance 

64 


RESPONSIVENESS  TO  HUMAN  NEED     [Ul-c] 

to  develop  a  self-respecting  independent  life  of  his  own ;  or 
whether  Christian  public  opinion  can  induce  a  policy  that 
will  make  central  the  welfare  of  the  governed. 

Furthermore,  Africa  confronts  a  dual  labor  problem.  On 
the  one  hand,  since  land  has  become  too  crowded  for  the 
old  herds,  the  pastoral  stage  must  give  way  to  the  agricul- 
tural. This  presents  the  very  pressing  need  of  educating  a 
whole  people  in  modern  farming  methods.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  demand  of  the  white  man  for  labor  in  mines  and 
factories,  in  railways  and  plantations,  is  increasingly  insistent 
It  is  good  for  the  African  to  be  stimulated  to  change  the 
indolent  habits  of  the  village,  and  the  world  needs  the  more 
strenuous  service  he  should  be  induced  to  render.  But  the 
temptation  pitilessly  to  exploit  this  half-dazed  labor  rather 
than  to  treat  it  in  a  just  and  Christian  way  is  proving  very 
hard  to  resist.  Where  great  capitalistic  undertakings  have 
concentrated  labor,  there  is  a  very  urgent  call  to  Christian 
forces  to  organize  social  service  of  the  wisest,  most  scientifi- 
cally constructive  kind.  Only  by  the  introduction  of  such  a 
spirit  will  those  tens  of  thousands  from  the  primitive  kraals 
be  kept  from  physical  and  moral  destruction  in  the  white 
man's   city. 

Africa  will  long  present  a  challenge  to  experts  to  conquer 
disease.  Hookworm,  sleeping  sickness,  venereal  disease, 
smallpox,  and  tuberculosis  must  be  controlled.  And  yet  the 
improved  communications  of  modern  times  have  served  to 
spread  disease  still  more  widely,  so  that  the  various  pests 
and  fevers  for  man  and  beast  are  no  longer  confined  to  com- 
paratively small  areas. 

From  still  another  angle  we  may  look  out  over  this  vast 
continent  and  see  old  methods  of  social  control  breaking 
down  on  every  hand.  Under  the  old  tribal  system  the  African 
hardly  conceived  of  personal  rights  as  over  against  the  tribe. 
All  the  influx  of  Western  civilization  is  removing  tribal  re- 
straints, disintegrating  ancient  customary  law,  and  dissipat- 
ing that  fear  of  taboos  which  provided  checks  on  unsocial 
conduct  in  the  past.  What  a  call  this  is  for  us  to  help  prevent 
utter  collapse  by  sharing  the  higher  moral  bases  without 
which  we,  too,  would  go  to  pieces  1 

The  need  for  instilling  the  Christian  foundations  of  our 
civilization  is  made  all  the  more  urgent  by  the  advance  of 
Islam.     This  religion,  while  undoubtedly  giving  higher  social 

65 


[III-c]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

standards  than  are  now  possessed  by  pagan  peoples,  yet 
petrifies  all  progress  beyond  its  level — a  level  that  contains 
glaring  deficiencies  and  comes  far  short  of  the  highest  that 
we  know.  The  need  at  this  point  is  all  the  greater  because 
it  will  take  us  ten  years  to  win  back  from  Islam  what  as 
pagan  could  be  won  for  Christ  in  a  single  year.  We  have 
only  to  let  things  go  on  as  at  present  and  in  two  or  three 
decades  Africa  will  be  Moslem — and  we  know  by  humiliating 
and  discouraging  experience  what  the  winning  of  a  Moslem 
country  means  and  costs. 

V 

Latin  America  has  her  closely-drawn  caste  lines,  the  prob- 
lem of  her  great  landed  estates,  her  millions  of  peons 
enslaved  through  debt,  her  unassimilated  Indian  tribes,  her 
varied  immigrants,  and  a  more  or  less  feudal  condition,  the 
ramifications  of  which  run  through  the  economic,  social,  and 
religious  life  of  the  people.  Because  of  Spain,  the  liberating 
influences  of  the  Reformation  and  the  accompanying  Renais- 
sance were  kept  from  Latin  America  for  three  hundred  years. 
Even  yet  the  twenty  republics  have  not  recovered  from  the 
extreme  reaction  in  faith  and  morals.  Probably  not  five  per 
cent  of  the  50,000  students  in  the  South  American  universities 
would  admit  allegiance  to  any  church.  Large  numbers  of 
the  educational  and  political  leaders  are  contemptuously 
antagonistic  to  all  forms  of  religion. 

VI 

The  Near  East  is  a  phrase  which  includes  the  Turkish 
Empire,  the  Balkan  Peninsula,  North  Africa,  and  Persia. 
So  far  as  this  includes  lands  under  Moslem  rule  we  have  an 
all-too-fresh  memory  of  what  it  means — ruthless  deportations 
and  massacres  of  Armenians,  famine  and  distress,  disease 
and  suffering.  One  finds  in  these  countries  lack  of  public 
spirit,  mutual  suspicion,  slavery,  extreme  poverty  on  the  part 
of  the  many,  and  a  tendency  merely  to  copy  tradition. 

To  these  six  mission  areas  one  may  add  as  a  seventh  group 
the  so-called  Christian  countries.  Their  needs  are  closer 
to  us  and  will  not  be  even  outlined  in  this  rapid  survey. 

VII 
How  can  we  explain  the  way  in  which  good  people  can 


RESPONSIFENESS  TO  HUMAN  NEED     [III-c] 

ignore  world  need?  William  James  points  out  an  obvious 
answer  when  he  says  that  we  cannot  attend  to  all  reality 
at  once — that  we  can  be  efficient  at  all  only  by  selecting  that 
to  which  we  will  attend  and  ignoring  everything  else.  This 
is  why  there  is  not  enough  misery  in  India,  poverty  in  China, 
industrial  turmoil  in  Japan,  fatalism  in  Turkey,  savagery  in 
Africa,  or  agnosticism  in  South  America  but  that  some  people 
can  forget  it.  It  is  entirely  plain  how  some  succeed  in 
ignoring  these  vast  realms  of  need ;  it  is  by  attending  to 
something  else.  One  reason  why  gold  flowed  toward  Armenia 
during  the  War  was  that  attention  was  arrested.  The  over- 
whelming mass  of  human  need  in  the  non-Christian  world 
has  never  similarly  caught  the  imagination  of  men. 

A  world  Christian,  however,  is  one  who  deifinitely  turns 
his  attention  to  the  needs  of  the  world.  He  is  the  kind 
of  a  person  that  will  not  continue  oblivious  to  how  the  other 
half  lives,  but  will  know  and  be  moved  by  human  need. 
What  heretofore  has  been  characteristic  of  the  missionary 
mind  will  characterize  every  Christian  in  the  new  democracy. 
Only  a  beginning  has  been  made  during  the  War  in  respond- 
ing to  those  who  are  across  the  world  from  us.  Such  practical 
sympathy  should  become  a  habit. 

But  even  when  attention  has  been  turned  to  these  great 
v/orld  needs  one  must  fight  against  a  tendency  to  think  of 
these  people  in  mere  masses.  Not  mankind  in  the  mass,  but 
individual  men  and  women  and  children,  whose  lives  we 
have  come  to  know,  grip  heart  and  sympathy.  If  we  fail 
to  individualize,  so  that  we  know  nothing  more  human  than 
"the  swarming  millions  of  the  East,"  or  the  "famine-stricken 
hordes  of  Asia"  we  are  not  likely  to  see  need  as  it  really  is. 
It  is  because  geographical  magazines  and  moving  pictures 
and  travel  books  leave  us  without  excuse  as  to  the  means 
of  acquiring  this  nearer  view  that  our  missionary  motive 
should  be  so  much  stronger  than  our  forefathers'. 
.  One  sometimes  wonders  whether  the  "heathen"  could  be 
real  men  and  women  to  those  who  stood  behind  our  early 
missionary  enterprise.  To  read  the  addresses  of  those  days 
it  would  seem  that  the  heathen  were  little  more  than  an 
undifferentiated  quantum  called  souls.  There  was  something 
abstract  about  their  appeals.  The  fitness  of  Christianity  to 
be  an  absolute  religion  was  considered,  the  plan  of  salvation 
was  expounded,  and  finally  the  utter  ruin  of  all  life  apart 

67 


[III-c]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

from  Christ  was  forcibly  deduced.  The  modern  missionary 
appeal,  however,  presents  with  vividness  the  concrete  facts 
and  situations  that  need  a  Savior,  Not  the  a  priori  and 
theologically-stated  necessity  "is  emphasized,  so  much  as  the 
actual  needs  which  cry  out  for  what  Christ  alone  can  give. 
We  need  to  recognize  that  there  is  this  transition  of  appeal. 
We  have  ceased  to  think  about  a  vague  humanity  which  by 
theory  must  be  lost;  and  we  are  more  and  more  seeing 
actual  men  and  women  and  families  and  nations  which  as  a 
matter  of  fact  do  supremely  need  the  Christ.  It  is  important 
to  recognize  that  when  this  transition  in  the  basis  of  appeal 
has  once  begun,  it  is  necessary  for  it  to  be  completed.  If  we 
are  going  to  depend  for  our  stimulus  on  a  presentation  of 
the  actual  and  visible  needs  of  men  for  Christ  rather  than 
on  their  theoretical  and  theologically-deduced  need  of  him, 
then  we  must  make  earnest  with  the  problem  of  creating 
sensitiveness  to  facts  of  need. 

But  after  the  attention  has  been  turned  to  the  realm  of 
need,  and  after  we  have  individualized  rather  than  simply 
thought  en  masse,  there  must  be  the  capacity  of  imagination 
to  make  needs  stand  out  with  vividness.  A  railway  track 
does  appear  nearer  together  in  the  distance,  but  most  adults 
have  imagination  enough  to  correct  this  optical  effect.  Com- 
paratively few,  however,  have  trained  themselves  to  see  at 
their  true  enormity  the  remediable  needs  of  more  backward 
peoples.  Again,  only  a  few  have  been  so  developed  that  they 
can  scan  sets  of  tables  telling  about  the  amount  of  child 
labor,  preventable  accidents,  or  unemployment  and  from  these 
columns  catch  the  significance  of  the  human  problem  or  be 
stirred  to  find  its  remedy.  Not  many  are  like  Brand  Whit- 
lock,  who  after  returning  from  his  ambassadorship  in  Bel- 
gium, said  that  he  could  never  enter  a  restaurant  and  see  a 
person  crumbling  bread  thoughtlessly  on  the  tablecloth  with- 
out a  cold  shiver  passing  through  him.  The  capacity  vividly 
to  appreciate  human  need,  is  a  distinct  attainment. 

We  don't  have  so  much  difficulty  with  the  needs  close  at 
hand.  Suppose  that  next  door  there  is  a  little  child  who 
has  been  grievously  crippled  for  life  by  infantile  paralysis 
and  is  carried  about  from  place  to  place  each  day.  Sympathy 
in  this  case  can  hardly  be  considered  an  attainment.  If  an 
auto  accident  occurs  before  our  own  door,  we  respond  at 
once  with  our  help,  feel  bad  over  it  all  the  afternoon,  and 

68 


RESPONSIVENESS  TO  HUMAN  NEED    [III-c] 

dream  about  it  at  night,  whether  the  patient  be  Chinese, 
African,  or  Jew.  It  is,  furthermore,  just  this  relative  ease 
of  response  to  nearby  need  that  makes  the  city  poor  more 
generous  than  the  country  poor — the  needy  in  a  city  touch 
one  another  more  closely  and  realize  more  vividly  their  neigh- 
bors' needs.  The  test  of  capacity  comes  with  the  more 
distant,  less  obvious  needs  of  the  world.  The  question  is  as 
to  whether  we  have  developed  the  field  glasses  of  our  im- 
agination so  that  we  can  see  the  practical  slavery  amongst 
the  30,000  rickshaw  coolies  of  Peking.  Or  we  may  be  able 
to  bring  close  up  in  vision  the  physical  hunger  of  the  world, 
but  have  no  power  to  focus  on  the  famished  spirits  of  men. 
We  have  learned  enough  from  the  Good  Samaritan  to  re- 
spond to  needs  that  thrust  themselves  on  our  roadside.  But 
we  are  Levites  and  Pharisees  with  reference  to  people  in 
dire  need  some  few  thousand  miles  away  from  the  road  we 
travel ;  our  money  can  release  service  in  a  distant  hospital 
as  well  as  in  the  inn  at  which  we  stop.  We  hear,  for  example, 
a  man  plead  that  the  death  rate  in  India  is  such  that  five 
million  more  people  die  each  year  than  would  thus  pass  away 
if  the  preventable  diseases  were  looked  after.  Is  it  lack  of 
imagination  that  causes  us  to  pass  by  on  the  other  side  of 
his  request  for  support  in  his  constructive  service  for  these 
people?  Let  us  rejoice  that  so  many  people  have  the  power 
of  response  which  enables  them  to  support  the  more  distant 
enterprises  of  the  Church  in  this  or  other  lands,  although 
they  have  not  actually  seen  the  places  or  peoples  for  whom 
their  resources  have  been  enlisted. 

VIII 

For  the  missionary  enthusiast  at  home  the  question  must 
arise  as  to  whether  he  possesses  this  capacity  for  sympathetic 
imagination.  Is  it  possible  that  the  activity  of  presidents 
and  secretaries  and  persons  otherwise  prominent  in  mission- 
ary societies  may  in  some  cases  arise  from  the  mere  joy  that 
comes  from  having  a  task  and  feeling  that  out  is  useful? 
This  joy  in  having  a  real  part  in  the  promotion  of  one  of 
the  activities  of  the  community  which  are  acknowledged  to 
be  important  and  respectable  is  perfectly  right,  but  it  is  not 
necessarily  the  expression  of  the  missionary  consciousness, 
even  though  dealing  with  missionary  geography  and  mission- 
ary facts.     The  activity  in  this  case  arises  from  a  laudable 

69 


[III-c]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

motive  that  could  be  satisfied  by  useful  leadership  in  any 
other  respectable  branch  of  service.  Many  a  time  in  a 
meeting  a  missionary  has  pleaded  most  tenderly  and  earnestly 
for  the  pressing,  multiform  needs  of  some  people  whom  he 
loves  and  the  chairman  has  closed  the  meeting  in  a  way  that 
makes  one  wonder  whether  imagination  has  taken  her  beyond 
the  machinery  of  the  meeting  to  see  the  significance,  in  flesh 
and  blood  and  hearts  and  souls,  of  the  message  regarding 
some  group  on  the  other  side  of  this  earth  of  ours.  Further- 
more, it  IS  possible  for  a  person  in  the  realm  of  missions, 
just  as  for  a  man  in  public  service,  to  continue  his  activity 
from  force  of  habit  or  because  of  what  people  will  think 
of  him  if  he  stops  or  fails.  The  Christian  consciousness  must 
have  as  an  essential  element,  however,  an  active  imagination 
which  is  capable  of  seeing  needs. 

For  our  nation  this  mark  of  an  international  mind  will 
mean  that  other  lands  will  be  looked  upon  not  merely  as 
places  where  trade  may  be  extended.  Consuls  will  report 
on  other  things  than  raw  materials  and  opening  commercial 
opportunities.  If  our  nation  is  to  be  fully  Christian,  it  must 
as  such  go  forth  in  service.  But  with  this  must  come  not 
only  the  establishment  of  precedents  for  national  generosity, 
but  the  atmosphere  in  which  it  will  be  natural  to  consider 
the  needs  of  other  lands.  Capacity  for  sympathetic  appre- 
ciation of  need  must  be  national  as  well  as  individual.  For, 
as  the  author  of  "The  Great  Society"  says,  it  may  easily 
prove  true  that  the  least  amount  of  love  that  will  suffice  to 
hold  together  the  cities  and  nations  of  the  new  order  "may 
be  found  Vb  require  that  what  school  children  learn  of  the 
unseen  millions  of  their  fellows  shall  be,  as  far  as  the  writers 
of  books  and  the  trainers  of  teachers  can  make  it,  the 
truth."' 

"For  the  selfish  comfort  among  the  wrongs  and  sorrows  of 
men,  for  our  ignorance  and  indifference  concerning  the  lot 
of  others,  for  the  love  of  ease  and  pleasure  that  has  blinded 
our  eyes,  have  mercy  upon  us,  O  Lord." 

TOPICS  FOR  DISCUSSION 

I.  Explain  why  no  amount  of  perfection  in  individual  quali- 
ties can  make  amends  for  a  sub-Christian  indifference  to  mal- 
adjustment in  the  world  about  you. 

2  Graham  Wallas.  "  The  Great  Society,"  p.  ISS- 

70 


RESPONSIVENESS  TO  HUMAN  NEED     [III-c] 

2.  To  what  extent  does  the  possibility  of  the  attainment 
of  Christian  character  depend  upon  the  attainment  of  a  cer- 
tain physical  and  intellectual  minimum  in  life?  To  what 
practical  steps  should  this  lead  us? 

3.  Have  you  the  concentration  which  enables  you  to  vision, 
beyond  the  actual,  the  ideal  social  order?  Sketch  some  of 
its  main   features. 

4.  Is  it  the  quality  of  need,  or  the  quantity  of  need,  on 
the  mission  field  that  distinguishes  the  call  for  service  abroad 
from  that  at  home? 

5.  If  the  state  of  the  non-Christian  world  were  such  as 
entirely  to  obscure  its  need,  would  the  Church's  duty  to  evan- 
gelize the  world  still  stand?     Explain. 

6.  What  impulses,  other  than  a  sensitive  response  to  need, 
may  keep  one  active  in  enterprises  of  helpfulness?  Is  the 
absence  of  such  an  impulse  creditable? 

7.  What  is  the  normal  Christian  reaction  to  known  need? 
Estimate  the  function  of  religion  in  meeting  each  kind  of 
world  need. 

8.  What  needs  in  Christian  work  abroad  call  for  laymen? 
How  would  you  justify  reforestation  as  a  legitimate  use  of 
time  by  a  missionary? 

9.  What  additional  thing  would  best  enable  us  to  respond 
to  the  world  need?  More  knowledge?  More  love?  More 
dynamic?  Greater  conviction  that  we  have  something  to 
give?     What? 

ID.  What  in  your  opinion  is  the  greatest  agency  thus  far 
in  seeing  and  meeting  world  need?  What  has  been  the 
inspiration  back  of  this  agency? 


71 


CHAPTER  IV 

Faith  in  the  Pursuant  Love  of  God 

Myself,  other  folks,  and  God — so  far,  we  have  been  con- 
sidering the  first  two  only  in  this  triangular  relationship.  But 
as  we  turn  from  the  needs  of  the  world,  so  vital,  so  varied, 
so  overwhelming,  we  are  confronted  by  the  question,  who  is 
sufficient  for  such  things?  Would  it  not  be  madness  for 
any  man  to  dream  that  his  one  life  could  cause  a  ripple  upon 
so  large  a  surface  and  so  deep  an  abyss?  Many  there  are 
who  would  like  to  see  conditions  bettered  and  needs  met, 
but  would  not  dream  of  purposing  to  bring  this  about.  Why 
should  any  form  a  purpose  for  what  seems  so  impossible  of 
achievement?  But  is  there  not  some  reason  why  it  becomes 
both  natural  and  inevitable,  yes,  and  impelling  to  set  about 
this  great  task — a  reason  also  for  confident  hope  of  success? 
Indeed  we  shall  find  all  of  these  when  we  take  into  considera- 
tion the  third  great  factor  with  whom  we  are  so  indissolubly 
knit  together,  and  come  to  understand  what  is  most  charac- 
teristic in  God. 

Fourth  Week,  First  Day:  The  Great  Attainment 

One  God  and  Father  of  all,  who  is  over  all,  and  through 
all,  and  in  all.  .  .  .  For  it  is  God  who  worketh  in  you 
both  to  will  and  to  work,  for  his  good  pleasure.  .  .  .  Not 
that  we  are  sufficient  of  ourselves,  to  account  anything 
as  from  ourselves;  but  our  sufficiency  is  from  God. — 
Eph.  4:6;  Phil.  2:13;  II  Cor.  3:5. 

Except  Jehovah  build  the  house. 

They  labor  in  vain  that  build  it: 

Except  Jehovah  keep  the  city, 

The  watchman  waketh  but  in  vain. 

It  is  vain  for  you  to  rise  up  early. 

To  take  rest  late, 

To  eat  the  bread  of  toil; 

For  so  he  giveth  unto  his  beloved  sleep.  .  .  • 

Jehovah  is  my  light  and  my  salvation; 

Whom  shall  I  fear? 

Jehovah  is  the  strength  of  my  life; 
72 


FAITH  IN  PURSUANT  LOVE  OF  GOD     [IV-i] 

Of  whom  shall  I  be  afraid? — Psalm  127:  i,  2;  27:  i. 

Be  strong  and  of  good  courage,  fear  not,  nor  be 
affrighted  at  them:  for  Jehovah  thy  God,  he  it  is  that 
doth  go  with  thee;  he  will  not  fail  thee,  nor  forsake  thee. 
.  .  .  And  Jehovah,  he  it  is  that  doth  go  before  thee;  he 
will  be  with  thee,  he  will  not  fail  thee,  neither  forsake 
thee:  fear  not,  neither  be  dismayed.  .  .  .  Have  not  I  com- 
manded thee?  Be  strong  and  of  good  courage;  be  not 
affrighted,  neither  be  thou  dismayed:  for  Jehovah  thy 
God  is  with  thee  whithersoever  thou  goest.  ...  In  all 
thy  ways  acknowledge  him,  And  he  will  direct  thy  paths. 
— Deut.  31:6,  8;  Josh.  1:9;  Prov.  3:6. 

Homage  to  personality  is  of  the  very  essence  of  democracy. 
It  increases  our  reverence  for  God  to  see  how  in  this  sense 
he  may  be  considered  as  democratic.  For  he  has  carefully 
avoided  dominatmg  our  personalities.  He  does  not  make 
himself  so  patently  obvious  that  we  are  compelled  to  believe 
in  him.  On  the  other  hand  we  must,  each  day,  newly  affirm 
our  faith  in  God,  and  develop  strength  of  spiritual  life  by 
triumphing  over  what  often  seems  like  unreality  in  this  realm. 
Each  of  us  must  voluntarily  choose,  and  voluntarily  keep 
the  great  attainment  of  a  living  consciousness  of  God,  such 
as  is  found  in  today's  verses. 

In  our  personal  experience  at  its  highest  we  have  the 
conviction  that  we  have  seen,  known,  and  experienced  God. 
This  conviction  is  strengthened  by  the  repetition  of  the  ex- 
perience on  our  part,  and  especially  by  confirmatory  testimony 
from  others  in  whose  competence  to  judge  we  have  most 
confidence.  Gradually  our  eyes  are  opened  to  see  God  as  the 
great  Teacher,  progressively  educating  both  ourselves  and  the 
race,  in  an  environment  partially  good  and  partially  bad, 
but  which  is  moving  as  we  cooperate  toward  a  morally  per- 
fect ideal.  Furthermore,  with  Jesus  we  look  on  what  of 
goodness  is  found  in  man,  and  make  the  deduction:  "How 
much  more  your  Father"  (cf.  Matt.  7:11).  Above  all,  the 
effect  of  the  personality  of  Jesus  makes  it  natural  to  believe 
in  God.  He  sends  the  world  Christian  forth,  eager  to  launch 
out  in  the  greatest  of  all  life's  ventures — the  daring  to  risk 
everything  on  the  assumption  that  we  are  "bound  up  in  the 
bundle  of  life  with  the  Lord  Jehovah" ;  the  willingness  to 
pray,  to  plan,  to  act  under  the  inspiration,  friendship,  and 
guarantee  of  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

73 


[lY-2]        MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

Fourth  Week,  Second  Day :  Love  Taking  the  Initi- 
ative 

What  man  of  you,  having  a  hundred  sheep,  and  having 
lost  one  of  them,  doth  not  leave  the  ninety  and  nine  in 
the  wilderness,  and  go  after  that  which  is  lost,  until  he 
find  it?  ...  Or  what  woman  having  ten  pieces  of  silver, 
if  she  lose  one  piece,  doth  not  light  a  lamp,  and  sweep 
the  house,  and  seek  diligently  until  she  find  it?  .  .  .  And 
he  arose,  and  came  to  his  father.  But  while  he  was  yet 
afar  off,  his  father  saw  him,  and  was  moved  with  compas- 
sion, and  ran,  and  fell  on  his  neck,  and  kissed  him. — 
Luke  15:4,  8,  20. 

But  the  reality  of  the  fact  of  God  must  be  filled  with  con- 
tent. One  day,  on  the  plains  of  India,  a  missionary  was 
asked:  "If  you  were  compelled  to  choose  but  one  page  from 
all  the  Bible  to  reveal  the  heart  of  Christianity,  what  one 
would  you  select?"  The  unhesitating  answer  was:  "I  would 
unhesitatingly  choose  that  page  which  tells  of  the  lost  sheep, 
the  lost  coin,  and  the  lost  boy."  Other  religions  tell  about 
a  god  who  will  come  to  save  the  righteous  and  punish  the 
wicked.  But  in  Christianity  alone  has  there  been  revealed 
a  God  who  cares  enough  to  seek  out  and  save  those  that  are 
lost.  It  used  to  be  easy  to  believe  in  a  God  who  would 
destroy  great  portions  of  humanity  which  were  thought  to 
be  evil;  the  hard  thing  was  even  to  conceive  of  a  Deity 
that  could  take  trouble  over  the  lost.  Since  Christ,  however, 
the  easy — in  fact,  to  those  who  have  really  known  him,  the 
inevitable — thing  is  to  believe  that  God  cannot  be  less  than  he. 

Notice  in  these  parables  how  the  shepherd  seeks  the  sheep 
uniil  he  finds  it;  how  the  woman  seeks  the  coin  until  she 
regains  it ;  how  the  father  loves  the  boy  lintil  he  comes  back 
again  to  the  father's  house.  In  this  pursuant  love  of  God 
we  find  the  climax  of  the  revelation  of  the  Father.  The 
aggressive,  initiating  love  of  God  for  man  is  the  very  core 
of  the  Christian  religion  and  in  it  resides  our  hope  for  an 
eventually  whole  and  perfect  life.  Not  only  will  there  be 
joy  in  heaven  over  every  successful  venture  of  love,  but  God 
is  hunting  and  working  and  loving  until  the  task  is  done. 

Experiencing  such  love  in  his  God,  man  must  learn  to  love. 
In  fellowship  with  such  a  person  man's  self-centered  nature 
becomes  transformed  until  he  too — like  his  God — is  charac- 

74 


FAITH  IN  PURSUANT  LOVE  OF  GOD     [IV-3] 

terized  by  a  loving  pursuit  which  stops  not  until  the  need  is 
met. 

Fourth  Week,  Third  Day:  A  Revolution  in  Values 

He  was  despised,  and  rejected  of  men;  a  man  of  sor- 
rows, and  acquainted  with  grief:  and  as  one  from  whom 
men  hide  their  face  he  was  despised;  and  we  esteemed 
him  not. 

Surely  he  hath  borne  bur  griefs,  and  carried  our  sor- 
rows; yet  we  did  esteem  him  stricken,  smitten  of  God, 
and  afflicted.  But  he  was  wounded  for  our  transgres- 
sions, he  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities;  the  chastisement 
of  our  peace  was  upon  him;  and  with  his  stripes  we  are 
healed. — Isa.  53:3-5- 

One  of  the  finest  products  of  Israel's  religion  was  the  con- 
ception that  undeserved  suffering  on  the  part  of  the  righteous 
might  somehow  make  toward  the  saving  of  the  wicked. 
Other  solutions  had  attributed  all  suffering  to  sin.  The  newer 
insight  perceived  that  some  suffering  could  be  redemptive. 
Righteous  and  wicked  are  so  bound  together  that  the  un- 
deserved suffering  of  the  one  may  be  the  saving  of  the  other. 
And  so  it  finally  dawned  on  the  consciousness  of  a  few 
leaders  that  even  the  longed-for  Messiah  might  not  be  a 
worldly  king  restoring  Israel  to  power,  but  a  suffering  servant 
through  whose  affliction  others  would  be  saved. 

This  insight  was  one  of  the  great  revolutions  in  judgments 
of  values.  Here  man  began  to  see  that  unmerited  suffering 
in  behalf  of  others  could  be  a  characteristic  of  God,  and  hence 
could  become  the  divinest  privilege  of  man.  Love's  greatest 
opportunity  very  often  involves  taking  on  a  burden  that  is 
not  merited.  In  this  great  passage  from  Isaiah  we  find  Israel 
'realizing  that  salvation  is  in  one  who  was  stricken,  smitten, 
and  afflicted.  How  much  vaster  is  the  redemptive  power  and 
stimulus  when  we  see  that  it  is  not  man,  however  exalted, 
but  God  himself  who  becomes  a  suffering  servant  for  the 
world !  Today  let  this  conception  of  what  God  is  ready  to 
do  and,  in  fact,  is  doing,  dominate  our  approach  to  the  world's 
sin  and  suffering  and  need. 

Fourth  Week,  Fourth  Day :  God's  Readiness  to  Give 

Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find; 
knock,   and  it  shall  be   opened  unto  you:   for  every  one 

75 


[IV-4]        MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

that  asketh  receiveth;  and  he  that  seeketh  findeth;  and 
to  him  that  knocketh  it  shall  be  opened.  Or  what  man 
is  there  of  you,  who,  if  his  son  shall  ask  him  for  a  loaf, 
will  give  him  a  stone;  or  if  he  shall  ask  for  a  fish,  will 
give  him  a  serpent?  If  ye  then,  being  evil,  know  how  to 
give  good  gifts  unto  your  children,  how  much  more  shall 
your  Father  who  is  in  heaven  give  good  things  to  them 
that  ask  him? — Matt.  7:7-11. 

If  ye  shall  ask  anything  of  the  Father,  he  will  give  it 
you  in  my  name. — John   16:23. 

Again  I  say  unto  you,  that  if  two  of  you  shall  agree' 
on  earth  as  touching  anything  that  they  shall  ask,  it 
shall  be  done  for  them  of  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven. — 
Matt.  18:  19. 

It  was  just  as  simple  as  this  to  Jesus:  "If  ye  being  evil 
know  how  to  give — how  much  more  your  Father — ."  The 
absolute  readiness  of  God  to  respond  was  a  fundamental 
conception  to  Jesus.  That  which  needed  correction  was  man's 
reluctance  to  ask,  his  refusal  even  to  formulate  desire. 

At  the  ordinary  level  or  potential  of  our  lives  we  make 
demands  upon  God  and  get  the  response  of  the  ordinary  laws 
of  nature.  Gravitation  works  whenever  called  upon;  magnets 
draw,  electricity  does  its  marvels,  steam  drives.  At  this 
level  all  of  us  ask,  and  receive  according  to  our  faith  from 
what  is  really  God.  What  Jesus  seemed  so  eager  to  have 
us  believe  is  that  there  is  a  higher  potential  or  level  of  faith 
at  which  we  can  live,  to  which  God's  response  will  be  as 
wonderfully  rich  and  just  as  "natural"  and  inevitable  as  on 
the  more  common  level.  In  other  words,  the  response  is 
according  to  our  real  demand  upon  God.  Ordinary  demand 
receives  ordinary  response.  But  mountains  can  be  removed 
when  there  is  even  a  little  of  that  faith  which  is  based  on. 
the  assured  character  of  God  and  his  readiness  to  give. 

True,  Jesus  gave  us  conditions  for  prayer,  certain  relation- 
ships which  must  be  right.  But  instead  of  impressing  his 
disciples  with  the  fact  that  to  pray  is  difficult,  he  seemed 
consumed  with  longing  that  they  should  realize  a  still  more 
fundamental  truth — how  eager  the  Father  is  to  give  to  those 
who  really  ask. 

With  a  world  about  us  needing  reconstruction,  should  we 
not  make  it  our  serious  prayer  that  God  will  give  us  the 
confidence  in  his  character  that  Jesus  had,  so  that  wonders 
may  be  worked  in  answer  to  our  faith? 

76 


FAITH  IN  PURSUANT  LOVE  OF  GOD     [IV-5I 

Fourth  Week,  Fifth  Day :  An  Ever-Working  God 

The  Son  can  do  nothing  of  himself,  but  what  he  seeth 
the  Father  doing.  .  .  .  My  Father  worketh  even  until 
now,  and  I  work. — John  5: 19b,  17. 

In  answering  the  criticism  of  pious  legalists,  Jesus  opens 
up  one  of  those  beautiful  windows  of  his  soul  through  which 
we  catch  a  rare  vision  of  his  conception  of  his  Father.  To 
Jesus  God  is  one  who  never  rests  from  an  active  outgoing 
of  service  to  rfiankind.  Even  on  the  Sabbath  day  God  con- 
tinues his  beneficent  work  for  his  children.  With  absolute 
certainty  we  may  count  on  him  every  minute,  since  rest  for 
God  does  not  involve  inactivity  in  love's  expression.  To 
Jesus  the  unceasing  activity  of  God  for  good  was  a  great 
reality. 

Rev.  G.  A.  Johnston  Ross  tells  how  he  was  standing  with 
John  MacNeill  one  day  in  Edinburgh  watching  the  procession 
incident  to  the  opening  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Na- 
tional Church.  In  connection  with  this  annual  event  the  King 
sends  a  Lord  High  Commissioner  who  is  conducted  to  the 
assembly  hall  by  a  great  pageant.  The  Lord  High  Commis- 
sioner and  his  staff,  the  Moderator,  and  other  officials  are 
seated  in  splendid  carriages,  drawn  by  milk-white  horses, 
gaily  caparisoned,  with  outriders,  trumpeters,  banner-bearers 
— a  gorgeous  spectacle.  As  the  pageant  swept  by  that  day,  the 
whole  business  impressed  Professor  Ross  as  so  absurd  in  its 
pompous  irrelevance  to  anything  Christian,  that  he  said  to 
his  friend,  "MacNeill,  what  do  you  suppose  the  Lord  Jesus 
thinks  of  this?"  For  a  moment  MacNeill  did  not  reply,  and 
supposing  he  had  not  heard  the  question.  Professor  Ross 
looked  at  his  face  and  saw  that  he  was  gazing  up  into  the 
skies,  his  eyes  suffused  with  tears.  Then  lapsing  into  Scotch, 
he  said,  "He's  thinkin'  naethin'  ava' ;  he's  ower  thrang! 
(He's  thinking  nothing  at  all;  he's  too  busy)." 

May  there  not  come  over  us,  as  over  these  two  men.  the 
overwhelming  thought  that  God  is  busy  in  a  great  purpose? 
He  does  not  work  merely  in  us  and  through  us.  In  ways  that 
are  beyond  us  and  without  us  God  has  been  silently  and 
peacefully  doing  his  work.  Would  that  we  could  catch  his 
great  perspective  in  aim  and  accomplishment,  so  that  the 
petty  would  at  once  be  sensed  by  us  as  microscopic  in  con- 
trast with  things  of  supreme  worth! 

77 


[IV-6]        MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

Fourth  Week,  Sixth  Day :  How  Omnipotence  Is  Set 
Free 

Fear  not,  little  flock;  for  it  is  your  Father's  good 
pleasure  to  give  you  the  kingdom. — Luke  1*2 :  32. 

Jesus  looking  upon  them  saith,  With  men  it  is  impos- 
sible, but  not  with  God:  for  all  things  are  possible  with 
God. — Mark  10:27. 

Then  came  the  disciples  to  Jesus  apart,  and  said,  Why 
could  not  we  cast  it  out?  And  he  saith  unto  them,  Be- 
cause of  your  little  faith :  for  verily  I  say  unto  you, .  If 
ye  have  faith  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  ye  shall  say 
unto  this  mountain.  Remove  hence  to  yonder  place;  and 
it  shall  remove. — Matt.  17:  19,  20. 

Notice  the  succession  of  thought  in  these  three  statements 
of  Jesus:  God  desires  to  establish  the  perfect  social  order; 
for  him  nothing  is  physically  impossible;  but,  being  the 
kind  of  God  he  is,  he  cannot  give  his  choicest  gifts  nor  make 
his  highest  response  where  there  is  distrust.  God  has  always 
been  ready  to  give  us  the  Kingdom,  and  will  actually  do  so 
just  as  soon  a.s  we  learn  to  know  and  trust  him.  It  was  be- 
cause Jesus  was  one  who  thus  knew  and  trusted  God  that  in 
him  the  Kingdom  could  actually  start  to  come.  Jesus'  faith 
enabled  God  to  respond  to  him  in  a  kingdom  way. 

Early  in  his  life  Jesus  must  have  realized  that  no  one 
else  had  a  consciousness  of  God  and  a  trust  in  Him  such 
as  he  himself  had.  If  only  others  would  develop  this  trust, 
the  Kingdom  would  be  here!  And  so  he  began  a  revelation 
of  what  kingdom  trust  is;  he  yearned  to  instill  a  knowledge 
of  and  a  confidence  in  the  Father.  By  miracle,  by  word,  by 
unhesitating  acceptance  of  death  that  looked  to  most  like 
utter  failure,  he  was  leading  people  to  catch  his  faith  in  the 
absolute  trustworthiness  of  God.  In  the  life  he  lived  we  get 
a  glimpse  of  the  way  in  which  the  omnipotence  of  God  is 
set  free  in  the  one  who  has  unlimited  confidence  in  His 
character  and  resources. 

What  might  we  not  be  and  do  if  we  had  Jesus'  conviction 
as  to  the  availability  of  God!  Isn't  it  just  possible  that  we 
might  catch  from  Jesus  faith  at  least  as  large  as  a  grain  of 
mustard  seed?  Putting  this  to  the  test,  that  faith  could  grow. 
Is  there  really  anything  better  that  we  can  do  to  prepare  our- 
selves for  taking  a  Christian's  place  in  a  world  of  need,  than 
acquiring   an   ever-deepening   conviction   of   the  character   of 

78 


FAITH  IN  PURSUANT  LOVE  OF  GOD     [IV-7] 

God?  It  will  mean  a  constant  return  to  the  one  who  so 
perfectly  manifested  the  filial  spirit,  it  will  mean  prayer, 
communion  with  God,  and  the  daily  living  out  the  trust  in 
the  laboratory  of  life.  The  world  Christian  must  get  the 
faith  that  Jesus  had,  if  he  would  do  the  works  that  Jesus 
places  upon  him. 

Fourth  Week,  Seventh  Day :  Reenforcement  for  the 
Seemingly  Impossible 

And  when  the  servant  of  the  man  of  God  was  risen 
early,  and  gone  forth,  behold,  a  host  with  horses  and 
chariots  was  round  about  the  city.  And  his  servant  said 
unto  him,  Alas,  my  master!  how  shall  we  do?  And  he 
answered.  Fear  not;  for  they  that  are  with  us  are  more 
than  they  that  are  with  them.  And  Elisha  prayed,  and 
said,  Jehovah,  I  pray  thee,  open  his  eyes,  that  he  may  see. 
And  Jehovah  opened  the  eyes  of  the  young  man;  and 
he  saw:  and,  behold,  the  mountain  was  full  of  horses  and 
chariots  of  fire  round  about  Elisha. — II  Kings  6:  15-18. 

The  horses  and  chariots  and  the  great  host  about  Dothan 
were  real  facts  that  had  to  be  taken  into  consideration.  But 
there  were  forces  of  strength  and  support  to  which  Elisha's 
servant  was  blind.  Even  so  today,  to  waken  up  to  the 
enormous  needs  of  this  world  is  a  terrible  thing  unless  we 
also  awaken  to  see  the  divine  reenforcement  that  is  at  hand. 
We  need  some  Elisha  to  open  our  eyes  that  we  may  see. 
Hope  and  courage  will  come  with  the  discovery  of  God.  To 
the  new  world  consciousness  we  must  bring  a  new  God  con- 
sciousness. 

There  have  been  times  with  tasks  so  small  that  we  were 
tempted  to  believe  that  we  could  clear  them  off  in  our  own 
unaided  strength.  Not  so  these  days.  Miracles  are  needed. 
Let  us  thank  God  for  tasks  so  large  that  we  must  open  our 
eyes  to  see  the  resources  that  are  with  God. 

COMMENT  FOR  THE  WEEK 
I 

If  we  could  get  a  steady  deep  insight  into  the  character 
and  purposes,  the  desires  and  resources  of  our  God,  then 
unquenchable    hope,    invincible    courage,    unhesitating    obedi- 

79 


[IV-c]        MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

ence,  and  absolute  loyalty  would  be  the  spontaneous  expres- 
sion of  our  lives.  Especially  do  we  need  to  lay  hold  of  the 
truth  that  God  is  preeminently  characterized  by  forth-going, 
self-sacrificing,  resourceful,  constructive  love.  We  have  come 
to  see  that  this  divine  solicitude  takes  within  its  grasp  not 
only  the  individual,  but  the  organized  life  of  man. 

And  all  this  loving  outreach  of  our  God  is  made  in  such  an 
unpretentious  way  that  we  are  not  forced  to  notice  it.  Every 
day  he  pours  his  blessings  upon  us.  "He  maketh  his  sun  to 
rise  on  the  evil  and  the  good,  and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just 
and  the  unjust"  (Matt.  5:44).  Yet  this  wealth  of  gift  is 
so  unobtrusively  made  our  own  that  for  many  there  is  a 
certain  unreality  in  the  religious  life.  No  doubt  in  this  also 
there  is  a  great  love-purpose  for  us.  If  it  were  all  too  over- 
whelmingly plain,  there  would  not  be  room  for  that  most 
beautiful  belief  that  friend  may  have  in  friend.  God  is  will- 
ing that  his  hovering  love  should  be  unobtrusive,  so  that  there 
may  be  room  for  faith,  for  complete  and  unwavering  confi- 
dence in  him. 

And  yet  there  has  been  one  supreme  expression  which  has 
challenged  the  attention  of  the  world,  and  will  ever  pre- 
eminently embody  to  us  the  self-giving  character  of  our  God. 
The  little  child  named  it  when  in  the  twilight  he  came  run- 
ning to  his  mother  saying,  "O  mother,  God  has  just  put  out 
his  service  star."  Yes,  his  single  star — for  God  so  loved  the 
world  that  he  g'ave  his  only  begotten  Son.  By  the  inner  neces- 
sity of  his  nature  God  is  ever  loving.  He  is  the  kind  of  a 
God  that  could  not  refrain  from  manifesting  himself  in 
Jesus,  and  being  found  in  the  form  of  man  could  not  but 
accept  the  cross.  It  is  in  the  cross  that  we  catch  such  a 
vision  of  our  God  and  his  ways  that  ever  after  life's  meaning 
and  possibilities  seem  transformed. 

II 

Let  us  not  forget  how  unique  in  the  thought  of  men  this 
conception  of  God's  character  is.  Suppose  that  in  contrast 
we  try  to  express  in  a  single  word  the  most  characteristic 
thing  in  the  world's  great  religions.  For  Muhammadanism, 
we  would  choose  the  word  submissiofi.  In  fact,  this  emphasis 
has  given  to  this  great  religion  one  of  the  names  by  which 
it  is  known,  "Islam,"  which  means  submission.     When  Mu- 

80 


FAITH  IN  PURSUANT  LOVE  OF  GOD     [IV-c] 

hammad,  at  forty  years  of  age  and  before  the  beginning  of 
his  pubHc  career,  was  meditating  on  a  mountain  height,  the 
hollowness  of  all  idolatry  burst  in  upon  him  and  in  contrast 
the  greatness  of  God  made  a  profound  impression  on  him. 
"Allahu  Akbar,"  that  is,  God  is  great,  became  the  watchword 
of  his  new  faith.  Before  this  greatness  of  God  man  is  as 
dust.  If  a  painter  could  have  one  picture  only  for  represent- 
ing Muhammadanism,  he  would  very  probably  depict  a  man 
kneeling  with  his  forehead  in  the  dust,  betokening  submis- 
sion, surrender. 

If  we  were  given  but  a  single  word  in  which  to  sum  up 
Hinduism  we  would  choose  karma,  for  this  word  stands  for 
India's  solution  of  the  great  problem  of  suffering,  and  it  has 
dyed  her  very  thought  through  and  through.  Karma  teaches 
that  if  one  suffers  here  it  is  because  of  evil  done  in  some 
former  life ;  if  one  is  blessed  here  it  is  because  of  good  done 
before  this  life  was  entered. '  In  short  "life,  in  quality  as  well 
as  in  quantity,  is  the  accurately  meted  and  altogether  fitting 
expiation  of  the  deeds  of  previous  existence."^ 

Buddhists  say  that  their  conception  of  the  highest  is 
serenity,  poise,  and  freedom  from  desire,  and  perhaps  for 
them  Buddhism  could  be  best  summed  up  in  nirvana,  that  con- 
ception which  hovers  between  rest  and  extinction,  and  may 
best  be  thought  of  as  passionless  peace. 

Confucius  himself  gives  us  reciprocity  as  the  single  word 
which  best  describes  the  system  that  has  held  for  centuries 
so  many  millions  in  China. 

As  Christians,  however,  we  are  convinced  that  God  is 
characterized  by  love.  If  only  one  word  were  allowed  with 
which  to  sum  up  Christianity,  love  would  be  chosen  by  all  to 
body  forth  the  conception  that  comes  nearest  to  the  heart  of 
what  they  hold  to  be  truest  and  highest  in  God  and  man. 
And  when  one  really  sees  this,  he  bows  in  reverence  before 
that  which  is  for  him  above  all  things  else  divine.  We  give 
the  allegiance  of  our  lives  to  a  Being  who  not  only  has 
power  but  purposes  to  use  that  power  in  service;  who, 
although  sinned  against  and  neglected,  nevertheless  tenderly 
hovers  over  his  children  with  an  exhaustless  love  which  wins 
them  back  to  him.  The  fact  is,  we  have  a  missionary  God. 
We  cannot  truly  think  of  him  as  revealed  in  Christ  without 


iP.  Deussen.  "System  des  Veddnta,"  p.  381. 

81 


[IV-c]        MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

finding  that  the  missionary  idea  is  dominant  in  our  con- 
ception of  him.  God  is  love — love  for  all — and  love  that 
costs.  Unlike  the  non-Christian  religions,  we  find  the  prin- 
ciple and  power  of  recovery  from  moral  evil  at  the  very 
heart  of  the  Christian  God. 

Such  has  not  always  been  man's  conception  of  deity.  Men 
long  bowed  down  before  the  whirlwind,  the  earthquake,  and 
the  fire ;  only  here  and  there  a  prophet  waited  for  the  still 
small  voice.  But  since  Christ  came,  that  which  compels  men 
to  bow  in  deepest  reverence  is  no  longer  mere  invincible 
power  or  omnipresence  or  all-inclusive  knowledge.  We 
might  dread  the  power,  but  before  we  fall  down  in  worship* 
we  would  want  to  know  the  purpose  of  the  One  we  call  God. 
Before  we  give  our  reverence,  we  want  to  know  the  aims 
of  this  stupendous  power  back  alike  of  the  planet  in  its  orbit 
and  of  the  electron  in  its  tiny  flight.  It  is  not  the  quantity 
of  this  power  but  its  quality,  its  direction  that  is  most  vital 
to  us. 

Ill 

There  have  been  times  amidst  the  attainments  of  modern 
days  when  men  did  not  feel  the  need  of  God,  since  they 
found  so  much  that  apparently  they  could  do  themselves. 
Housing  conditions  could  be  bettered,  child  labor  controlled, 
amusements  could  be  censored,  preventable  accidents  could 
be  reduced.  A  whole  list  of  evils  that  once  seemed  abso- 
lutely inevitable  has  been  eliminated.  The  very  success  of 
social  amelioration  and  of  scientific  investigation  of  causes 
and  conditions  has  turned  some  away  from  God  to  a  confi- 
dence in  human  might  and  power. 

But  sooner  or  later  we  find  that  there  are  tasks  that  do 
not  lie  so  much  on  the  surface.  We  find  our  limitations  in 
meeting  these  deeper  needs — "needs  of  inward  renewal,  of 
the  transformation  of  character,  of  deliverance  from  selfish- 
ness and  pettiness  and  the  tyranny  of  habit;  the  need  of 
inner  contentment  and  peace,  of  a  larger  outlook,  of  a  more 
satisfying  ambition."  It  is  when  we  are  face  to  face  with 
these  deeper  needs  in  trench  or  counting-house,  in  hospital 
or  congested  quarter  that  we  become  painfully  conscious  of 
our  own  limitations  and  are  driven  to  God  himself. 

But  in  still  other  ways  God  has  been  opening  up  before 
us  tasks  so  prodigious  that  even  the  social  and  philanthropic 

%2 


FAITH  IN  PURSUANT  LOVE  OF  GOD     [IV-c] 

attainments  of  yesterday  are  not  able  to  give  courage  for 
them.  The  nations  of  the  world  are  to  be  bound  together  in 
spite  of  bitterness,  injustice,  and  racial  prejudice.  Inter- 
nationalism is  to  become  an  attainment,  even  though  national- 
ism be  more  than  ever  emphasized.  War  is  to  be  outgrown. 
Our  own  lands  are  to  be  Christianized,  with  all  the  searching 
social  and  economic -adjustments  that  this  will  involve.  The 
Church  is  to  be  reconstructed.  A  seventh  of  the  human  race 
is  still  to  be  reached  by  the  Christian  message  in  parts  of 
the  world  as  yet  unoccupied,  and  the  so-called  occupied 
fields  are  to  be  manned  and  worked  in  a  worthy  manner. 
Men  and  women,  sufficient  in  number  and  adequate  in  gifts 
and  grace,  must  be  found,  trained,  and  sent  forth  to  our 
own  and  other  lands.  Money  must  be  raised  and  harmony 
must  be  preserved  amongst  the  various  forces. 

New  conviction  as  to  the  character  and  sufficiency  of  our 
God  is  the  ultimate  foundation  for  a  faith  large  enough  to 
reconstruct  a  world.  The  faith  Jesus  had  in  the  God  he 
knew  is  the  only  faith  big  enough  for  these  great  tasks.  But 
in  the  presence  of  his  conviction  there  can  be  nothing  im- 
possible in  the  reconstruction  of  the  world.  There  can  be 
no  disparity  between  aims  and  means  when  we  include  within 
the  means  the  resources  of  a  God  who  has  a  will  to  serve 
even  at  cost  to  self. 

IV 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  just  this  conviction  as  to  the 
character  and  the  purpose,  the  desire  and  the  resources  of 
our  God  that  has  been  back  of  the  Christian  enterprise  of 
missions.  Only  as  men  come  to  understand  this  character 
will  the  missionary  idea  gain  its  deepest  hold.  The  world 
may  laugh  at  the  fact  that  a  cobbler  started  the  modern 
missionary  movement,  but  the  union  of  a  consecrated  cobbler 
and  a  God  who  works  for  good,  made  one  of  the  most 
notable  life  histories  the  world  has  ever  had.  And  how  can 
the  present  missionary  force  of  only  25,000  men  and  women 
dare  go  forth  to  change  a  world?  It  is  because  they  have 
the  deep-laid  confidence  that  all  peoples  are  the  objects  of 
God's  love;  that  their  uplift  is  in  line  with  his  fundamental 
purposes ;  and  that  therefore  every  stroke  toward  that  end 
is  work  that  has  eternal  significance.  That  is  why  thousands 
have  gone  forth  to  spend  their  lives  working  with  God.     It 

83 


[IV-c]        MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

is  because  of  their  consciousness  that  God  is  at  work  with 
them  that  they  are  enabled  to  bear  isolation  and  privation 
and  homespun  toil  for  the  more  backward  of  the  earth. 

Many  a  time  a  missionary  might  be  tempted  to  give  up 
before  indifference  or  opposition  on  the  field,  but  this  confi- 
dence that  God  purposes  a  perfected  world  gives  him  strength 
and  courage  to  go  ahead.  When  Morrison  was  scoffingly 
asked  whether  he  expected  to  make  any  impression  on  the 
vast  Chinese  Empire,  he  replied:  "No,  sir,  but  I  expect  God 
will."  Morrison  could  wait  seven  years  for  his  first  convert 
in  China;  Carey  could  work  for  eight  years  before  baptizing 
Krishna  Pal;  Bush  and  Matoon  saw  no  visible  results  for 
six  years  in  Bangkok.  It  was,  however,  the  conviction  that 
the  unchanging  purpose  of  a  mighty  God  of  love  was  behind 
them  that  sent  them  unhesitatingly  on.  They  knew  that  they 
did  not  have  to  work  out  the  world's  salvation  alone.  If 
that  were  the  case  they  might  well  have  despaired.  In  such 
disappointing  circumstances,  however,  they  could  know  that 
God  was  not  only  divinely  reenforcing  all  the  good  that 
they  had  ever  visioned  for  these  lands,  but  God  had  pre- 
ceded them,  and  now  at  last  men  were  faintly  sharing  in  his 
yearning, 

Mary  Slessor,  who  went  forth,  self-educated,  from  a  Scot- 
tish weaving  shed  to  Africa,  had  this  faith  in  God.  When 
she  went  to  live  in  a  tribe  for  whom  all  previous  efforts  had 
failed,  the  chief  scoffed  at  the  idea  of  being  helped  by  a 
woman  in  their  midst.  "In  measuring  the  woman's  power," 
she  answered,  "you  have  evidently  forgotten  to  take  into 
consideration  the  woman's  God." 

David  Livingstone  had  this  faith  when  he  said,  "Nothing 
earthly  will  make  me  give  up  my  work  in  despair."  Once 
when  one  of  Africa's  savage  tribes  seemed  about  to  put 
Livingstone  to  death  he  wrote  in  his  diary:  "Felt  much  tur- 
moil of  spirit  in  view  of  having  all  my  plans  for  the  welfare 
of  this  great  region  and  teeming  population  knocked  on  the 
head  by  savages  tomorrow.  But  I  read  that  Jesus  came  and 
said,  'All  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth. 
Go  ye  therefore  and  teach  all  nations,  and  lo,  I  am  with 
you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.'  It  is  the  word 
of  a  gentleman  of  the  most  sacred  and  strictest  honour,  and 
there  is  an  end  on't."  To  modern  prophets,  as  well  as  to 
Isaiah,  God's  voice  is  heard  saying:   "Remember  ye  not  the 


FAITH  IN  PURSUANT  LOVE  OF  GOD     [IV-c] 

former   things,   neither   consider   the   things   of   old.     Behold 
I  will  do  a  new  thing"  (Isa.  43:  18,  19). 

Now  every  Christian's  life  should  create  the  impression 
that  he  is  a  personal  representative  of  the  great  Father  God, 
who  has  done  marvelous  things  in  the  past,  and  who  is  eager 
to  do  still  more  wonderful  things  in  the  future.  Have  we 
such  absolute  confidence  in  the  character  of  God  that,  with 
Livingstone,  we  could  stake  our  lives  upon  its  truth?  Are 
we  even  retelling  to  the  rising  generation  the  story  of  the 
triumphs  which  have  been  won  by  those  who  have  dared 
to  take  risks  in  the  service  of  God? 

V 

But  some  may  ask  why,  if  God's  character  and  resources 
are  so  sufficient,  more  is  not  accomplished.  Christ  gives 
the  answer  when  he  said  we  have  not  because  we  ask  not. 
In  the  light  of  our  professed  belief  in  God's  readiness  to 
give  and  in  view  of  the  experience  of  prayer,  nothing  is 
more  astounding  than  the  way  in  which  we  do  not  ask.  Even 
those  who  would  be  regarded  by  most  as  unquestionably 
Christian  do  not  keep  before  themselves  big  things  for  which 
they  are  asking.  It  is  so  possible  to  perceive  intellectually 
God's  designs  and  desires  and  even  to  be  aware  of  the  needs 
of  men  without  actively  making  God's  aims  one's  own.  It  is 
because  of  this  lack  of  cooperation  in  us  that  God  is  blocked. 

Even  after  all  the  centuries  since  Christ  showed  to  us  the 
heart  of  God,  how  slight  a  grasp  we  have  of  the  truth  about 
God !  We  find  it  hard  to  believe  in  his  essential  goodness. 
We  have  not  habituated  ourselves  to  place  our  first  reliance 
on  the  great  fact  that  God  is  far  more  deeply  and  truly  inter- 
ested and  engaged  in  the  advancement  of  every  good  of 
mankind  than  are  we.  Yet  we  are  in  an  ocean  of  intelligent, 
personal  life  and  love,  above  us,  below,  and  all  around ;  and 
this  life  and  love  are  permeating  us,  both  mentally  and  bodily, 
and  all  other  beings  as  well.  "If  ye  have  faith  as  a  grain 
of  mustard  seed,  ye  shall  say  unto  this  mountain,  Remove 
hence  to  yonder  place ;  and  it  shall  remove ;  and  nothing  shall 
be  impossible  unto  you"  (Matt.  17:20).  We  live  and  move 
and  have  our  being  in  One  who  is  infinite  in  potential  re- 
sponsiveness and  who  only  waits  to  be  called  into  activity 
b>i  our  recognition  and  appropriation  of  his  sufficiency.  With 
a  world  which,  as  we  saw  in  the  last  chapter,  has  a  doubly 

85 


[IV-c]        MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

sevenfold  need,  what  more  colossal  blindness  is  there  than 
our  lack  of  faith  that  God  is  really  Christ-like? 

Can  we  not  get  behind  these  words  so  that  their  unique 
significance  sinks  in  upon  us?  Can  we  not  launch  out  in  a 
supreme  adventure,  and  demonstrate  to  the  world  that  Christ's 
thought  of  God  is  really  true  and  that  it  brings  results? 
What  would  it  not  m.can  to  the  world  if  even  little  nuclei  of 
people  here  and  there  should  be  dominated  by  the  conviction 
that  the  ultimate  Center  of  our  whole  universe — the  living, 
personal  God — is  willing  wondrous  goals  for  this  old  earth, 
and  that  he  is  blocked  simply  by  our  lack  of  appropriation 
and  response.  The  world  Christian  can  make  no  greater 
contribution  to  his  generation  than  faith  in  the  living,  loving, 
serving  God.  Mere  fraternity  is  being  urged  by  men  who 
do  not  take  the  name  of  Christ.  Socialists  and  international- 
ists of  many  kinds  are  striving  for  the  fact  of  brotherhood. 
But  back  of  the  fact  of  brotherhood  is  the  still  more  signifi- 
cant fact  of  Fatherhood,  and  it  is  faith  in  this  that  Christ 
instills.  It  is  this  faith,  furthermore,  that  men  supremely 
need.  They  face  the  stupendous  task  of  social  reconstruc- 
tion. Some  are  starving  on  their  own  resources.  Chris- 
tianity's incomparable  gift  to  man  is  that  it  opens  up  un- 
fathomed  resources  of  moral  renewal,  wisdom,  energy,  and 
love. 

What  does  the  world  need  more  than  a  contagious  con- 
viction of  the  character  of  our  God?  What  would  bring 
courage  and  confidence  and  hope  into  any  field  of  construc- 
tive effort  more  than  this  deep-lying  consciousness  that  at 
the  very  center  of  things  is  Someone  who  knows  and  cares, 
is  ready  to  help,  and  is  in  fact  already  working  for  the  best? 
And  what  greater  or  more  distinctively  Christian  contribution 
can  you  make  to  your  fellowmen  than  to  live  in  this  con- 
sciousness, and  by  your  very  confidence  make  it  easier  for 
others  to  believe  in  him;  to  act  on  the  conviction  that  he 
has  already  taken  the  initiative  in  meeting  your  every  need 
as  well  as  those  of  the  world ;  and  to  be  stirred  with  a  quiet 
hope  because  you  know  that  aspiration  after  the  good,  the 
beautiful,  the  true  is  in  line  with  the  power  and  resources 
of  God  himself? 

"Verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you.  The  Son  can  do  nothing 
of  himself,  but  what  he  seeth  the  Father  doing:  for  what 
things    soever   he   doeth,   these   the    Son   also    doeth   in    like 

86 


FAITH  IN  PURSUANT  LOVE  OF  GOD     [IV-c] 

manner"  (John  5:  19).    What  do  you  see  God  doing  in  these 
days? 

TOPICS  FOR  DISCUSSION 

1.  What  are  the  things  which  as  a  matter  of  fact  give  hope 
and  courage  to  those  who  are  working  for  a  better  world? 

2.  Amongst  these,  what  hypothesis,  if  it  were  thoroughly 
accepted,  would  in  your  opinion  give  mankind  greatest  confi- 
dence and  assurance  that  progress  is  both  possible  and  prob- 
able? 

3.  What  motive  led  Jesus  to  do  so  many  works  of  healing? 
Was  it  the  spontaneous  impulse  of  pity,  was  it  to  demon- 
strate the  resources  and  goodness  of  God,  or  was  it  some- 
thing else? 

4.  If  God  is  like  Jesus,  why  is  progress  not  more  sure 
and  definite?     What  is  the  matter? 

5.  How  would  you  answer  the  contention  that  conditions 
in  non-Christian  lands  today  indicate  that  God's  presence  and 
love  must  be  inadequate? 

6.  What  is  your  deepest  reason  for  believing  in  an  aggres- 
sive participation  by  the  Church  in  the  formation  of  a  new 
world  order? 

7.  What  elements  in  the  conception  of  God  are  unique  in 
the  Christian  religion? 

8.  Put  in  a  sentence  your  conception  of  the  character  of 
God. 


87 


CHAPTER  V 

The  Impulsion  of  a  Great 
Experience 

Some  who  have  read  thus  far  may  say,  granted  that  these 
distant  peoples  have  many  and  great  needs ;  granted,  too, 
that  we  must  become  like  God  in  outgoing,  generous  love 
and  service,  what  have  we  to  give  to  them?  As  we  read  of 
the  physical,  economic,  educational,  and  other  social  needs 
of  other  peoples,  we  acknowledge  that  the  West  possesses  a 
knowledge  of  the  technique  of  civilization  that  others  do 
not  have.  We  can  tell  them  a  good  bit  about  sanitation,  about 
the  application  of  steam  and  electricity,  about  increased  pro- 
duction through  cooperation  and  organization.  Of  course, 
any  fairly  humanized  person  must  feel  a  certain  obligation 
to  share  these  things.  But  this  is  far  from  the  passion  and 
intensity  of  the  forth-going  impulse  of  the  world  Christian. 
Why  so  much  fervor  and  immediacy  about  his  highest  effort 
in  world  friendship?  The  answer  to  this  question  leads 
us  to  the  very  heart  of  our  study:  The  ultimate  dynamic 
empowering  the  ivorld  Christian  is  the  inevitable  impulsion' 
that  arises  from  experiencing  the  priceless  treasure  that  is 
found  in  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  this  above  all  other  things 
which  leads  to  the  determination,  heroism,  and  sacrifice  that 
must  characterize  the  Christian  enterprise  of  world  friend- 
ship. 

Fifth  Week,  First  Day:  Twin  Springs 

So  the  woman  left  her  waterpot,  and  went  away  into 
the  city,  and  saith  to  the  people,  Come,  see  a  man,  who 
told  me  all  things  that  ever  I  did:  can  this  be  the  Christ? 
They  went  out  of  the  city,  and  were  coming  to  him.  .  .  . 
And  from  that  city  many  of  the  Samaritans  believed  on 
him  because  of  the  word  of  the  woman,  who  testified,  He 
told  me  all  things  that  ever  I  did. — John  4:28-30,  39. 


IMPULSION  OF  GREAT  EXPERIENCE      [V-2] 

The  woman  of  Samaria  certainly  knew  the  needs  of  the 
people  of  Sychar;  she  also  had  had  a  wonderful  experience 
with  Christ.  These  two  things  made  the  testimony  inevitable. 
So  it  has  always  been.  Right  down  through  the  ages  you 
will  find  great  missionary  awakenings  when  you  have  the 
conjunction  of  these  two  factors — some  fresh  vision  of  the 
world,  opening  up  vast  areas  of  human  need,  and  with  this 
a  spiritual  awakening  which  makes  one  vividly  conscious 
of  a  Source  that  can  satisfy  that  need.  The  modern  mission- 
ary movement, 'for  example,  had  its  rise  on  the  one  hand  in 
an  enlarged  world  brought  close  through  the  records  of  great 
voyagers,  the  political  expansion  of  Great  Britain,  and  a 
marked  increase  in  commercial  relations  with  non-Christian 
nations.  On  the  other  hand,  it  was  preceded  by  the  sharpen- 
ing of  the  national  conscience  through  the  bitterly  opposed 
but  finally  successful  movement  for  the  abolition  of  slavery, 
and  by  the  revival  led  by  Wesley  and  Whitefield  which 
brought  in  a  tremendous  spiritual  awakening. 

What  is  true  of  great  corporate  movements  is,  in  this  case, 
true  of  the  individual.  If  we  feel  no  impulse  to  take  part 
in  a  great  giving  to  the  world,  is  it  because  we  do  not  know 
the  world — that  is,  are  ignorant?  Or  is  it  because  we  have 
never  really  met  Jesus  Christ  on  life's  wayside,  and  have 
never  actually  found  in  him  significance  of  unparalleled  de- 
gree— that  is,  are  not  fully  Christian?  Shall  we  not  ask 
ourselves  this  week  whether  we  have  ever  been  sufficiently 
alone  with  Jesus  Christ  to  permit  his  life  to  make  its  rightful 
impress  on  our  lives? 

Fifth  Week,  Second  Day :  The  Satisfaction  of  Five 
Great  Needs 

I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life.  ...  In  him  was 
life;  and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men.  .  .  .  Grace  and 
truth  came  through  Jesus  Christ. — John  14:6;  1:4,  17. 

Read  over  these  verses  and  note  the  five  outstanding  things 
which  Christ  meant  to  the  writer.  Name  these  items  over 
thoughtfully  and  arrange  them  in  the  order  of  your  own 
personal  appreciation  of  them.  These  were  incomparable 
values  to  the  writer  of  this  gospel  and  expressed  for  him 
the  significance  of  Jesus  Christ. 

89 


[V-3]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

Suppose  you  face  the  question  whether  you  would  have 
been  wiUing  to  live  and  die  without  knowing  the  Source  of 
these  five  great  blessings.  What  actual  difference  would  it 
have  made  if  you — and  your  children — had  been  born  amongst 
millions  who  never  heard  of  Christ?  Only  by  vividly  pictur- 
ing to  yourself  what  life  for  such  millions  is,  can  you  grasp 
something  of  the  immeasurable  loss  that  deprivation  of  the 
Christ-life  would  have  meant.  Refusing  to  be  a  world  Chris- 
tian means  inflicting  this  immeasurable  loss  upon  others  who 
have  capacity  as  great  as  yours  for  appreciation  of  these 
values.     For  what  he  has  done  for  you  he  can  do  for  all. 

But  no  merely  theoretical  conception  of  the  Christ  will 
send  men  forth  to  a  world  in  need.  Unless  Christ  means 
something  vital  in  your  living  experience,  you  will  lack 
convincing  zeal  and  warmth.  Think  a  moment;  then  honestly 
answer  these  two  questions  :  What  personal  knowledge  have 
I  of  Christ?  Has  fellowship  with  him  any  definite  warm 
content  in  my  experience? 

Fifth  Week,  Third  Day:  The  Unsearchable  Riches 
of  Christ 

Yea  verily,  and  I  count  all  things  to  be  loss  for  the 
excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord: 
for  whom  I  suffered  the  loss  of  all  things,  and  do  count 
them  but  refuse,  that  I  may  gain  Christ,  and  be  found 
in  him,  not  having  a  righteousness  of  mine  own,  even 
that  which  is  of  the  law,  but  that  which  is  through  faith 
in  Christ,  the  righteousness  which  is  from  God  by  faith: 
that  I  may  know  him,  and  the  power  of  his  resurrection, 
and  the  fellowship  of  his  sufferings,  becoming  conformed 
unto  his  death;  if  by  any  means  I  may  attain  unto  the 
resurrection  from  the  dead.  Not  that  I  have  already  ob- 
tained, or  am  already  made  perfect:  but  I  press  on,  if 
so  be  that  I  may  lay  hold  on  that  for  which  also  I  was 
laid  hold  on  by  Christ  Jesus.- -Phil.  3:8-12. 

The  dominating  fact  in  the  life  of  Paul  was  the  magnifi- 
cently transforming  experience  of  contact  with  Christ.  In- 
evitably the  riches  of  His  glory  became  the  witness  of  his  life. 
For  the  living  Christ  had  appealed  to  his  soul  and  Paul 
had  responded  with  absolute  devotion.  In  Christ  Paul  found 
all  that  made  life  significant,  triumphant,  and  joyous.  Peace 
for  the  past,  power  for  the  present,  and  hope  for  the  future 

90 


IMPULSION  OF  GREAT  EXPERIENCE      [V-4I 

had  come  to  him  through  Christ.  Through  him  had  come 
the  assurance  of  the  forgiveness  of  sins.  It  was  through 
Christ's  energizing  spirit  that  he  experienced  a  definite  de- 
liverance from  a  deep-rooted  tendency — "for  the  good  which 
I  would  I  do  not:  but  the  evil  which  I  would  not,  that  I 
practise"  (Rom.  7:  19).  It  was  a  momentous  thing  to  be  in 
touch  with  a  spiritual  power  that  made  life  victorious  against 
passion  and  self-will.  A  great  joy  over  a  new  freedom  and 
harmony  that  was  his  with  God  throbbed  within  his  breast, 
so  that  witness  to"  its  source  was  as  spontaneous  as  for 
sparkling  water  to  issue  from  a  pure  spring. 

Furthermore,  in  the  death  of  Christ,  Paul  saw  the  supreme 
disclosure  of  God's  mind  and  heart  toward  an  unreconciled 
world,  and  the  conviction  sank  in  upon  Paul  that  in  spite  of 
sin  man  can  count  upon  God's  love  to  the  uttermost.  Hence- 
forth amongst  life's  certitudes  were  the  divine  and  limitless 
resources  available  for  the  recovery  of  mankind.  Paul  could 
no  more  keep  silent  about  this  great  conviction  and  experi- 
ence than  could  Jeremiah  keep  God's  word  in  his  heart  un- 
spoken to  the  world.  "If  I  say,  I  will  not  make  mention  of 
him,  nor  speak  any  more  in  his  name,  then  there  is  in  my 
heart  as  it  were  a  burning  fire  shut  up  in  my  bones,  and  I 
am  weary  with  forbearing,  and  I  cannot  contain"  (Jer.  20:9). 
The  trouble  is  that  while  men  hold  the  truth  of  the  unique 
treasure  in  Jesus  Christ,  that  truth  does  not  hold  them. 
Make  a  list,  if  possible,  of  what  vital  forces  in  your  life 
have  been  afifected  by  Christ.  That  which  was  Paul's  glorious 
experience  should  be  yours  and  mine. 

Fifth  Week,  Fourth  Day:  Limitless  Responsibility 
Resulting  from  Priceless  Privilege 

I  am  debtor  both  to  Greeks  and  to  Barbarians,  both 
to  the  wise  and  to  the  fooHsh.  So,  as  much  as  in  me 
is,  I  am  ready  to  preach  the  gospel  to  you  also  that  are 
in  Rome. 

For  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel:  for  it  is  the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth; 
to  the  Jew  first,  and  also  to  the  Greek. — Rom.  i:  14-16. 

Can  anyone  imagine  a  person  having  such  a  transforming 
experience  as  Christ  brought  to  Paul  without  also  having  an 
impulse  to  share  this  treasure  with  the  world?     PauKs  was 

91 


[V-4]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

no  isolated  experience.  The  peace,  the  power,  the  hope  that 
had  come  to  him  were  surely  meant  to  be  the  birthright  of 
every  child  of  God.  In  Christ,  God  was  in  a  new  way 
yearningly  manifesting  his  very  self  to  men.  "God  was  in 
Christ,  reconciling  the  world  unto  himself"  (II  Cor.  5:19). 
And  since  the  bestowal  of  God's  friendship  depended  on  no 
conditions  of  race  or  merit,  Paul's  experience  was  equally 
available  for  all  the  world.  Possessing  the  secret  of  abun- 
dant life,  he  felt  that  he  was  debtor  to  Greek  and  to  bar- 
barian, to  the  wise  and  to  the  unwise,  until  he  had  shared 
it  with  them.  "For  necessity  is  laid  upon  me;  for  woe  is 
unto  me,  if  I  preach  not  the  gospel"  (I  Cor.  9:  16). 

"I  am  debtor  alike  to  the  Jew  and  the  Greek, 

The  mighty  apostle  cried. 
Traversing  continents,  souls  to  seek. 

For  the  love  of  the  Crucified. 
Centuries,  centuries  since  have  sped : 
Millions  are  perishing:  we  have  Bread; 
But  we  eat  our  morsel  alone." 

The  greater  the  consciousness  of  wealth  of  life  received 
through  Christ,  the  greater  normally  is  the  impulse  to  bring 
others  into  his  presence.  David  Livingstone,  in  offering  him- 
self to  the  directors  of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  wrote : 
"My  desire  is  to  see  the  kingdom  of  my  Savior  established 
in  the  hearts  of  all  those  who  are  now  in  that  state  in  which 
I  myself  once  was."  Hudson  Taylor  tells  how,  soon  after 
his  conversion,  he  felt  the  obligation  which  accompanies  true 
gratitude :  "I  retired  for  communion  with  God,  again  and 
again  confessing  grateful  love  to  him  who  had  done  every- 
thing for  me.  I  besought  him  to  give  me  some  work  to  do 
for  him,  as  an  outlet  for  love  and  gratitude.  -  Well  do  I 
remember,  as  in  unreserved  consecration  I  put  my  life,  my 
friends,  my  all  upon  the  altar,  the  deep  solemnity  which 
came  over  my  soul  with  the  assurance  that  my  oftering  was 
accepted."  Such  always  has  been  the  spirit  of  those  whom 
Christ  has  touched;  the  possession  of  a  blessing  is  the  rea- 
son for  conferring  blessing  on  others.  As  Henry  Martyn 
said,  "The  Spirit  of  Christ  is  the  Spirit  of  missions,  and 
the  nearer  we  get  to  him,  the  more  intensely  missionary  must 
we  become." 

92 


IMPULSION  OF  GREAT  EXPERIENCE      [V-5] 

Fifth  Week,  Fifth  Day:  One  of  the  Sources  of  a 
Fruitful  Life 

For  the  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us;  because  we  thus 
judge,  that  one  died  for  all,  therefore  all  died;  and  he  died 
for  all,  that  they  that  live  should  no  longer  Hve  unto 
themselves,  but  unto  him  who  for  their  sakes  died  and 
rose  again. — II  Cor.  5:14,  15. 

I  have  been  crucified  with  Christ;  and  it  is  no  longer 
I  that  live,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me:  and  that  life  which 
I  now  live  in  the  flesh  I  live  in  faith,  the  faith  which  is 
in  the  Son  of  God,  who  loved  me,  and  gave  himself  up 
for  me. — Gal.  2 :  20. 

Beloved,  if  God  so  loved  us,  we  also  ought  to  love  one 
another. — I  John  4:  11. 

Be  ye  kind  one  to  another,  tenderhearted,  forgiving 
each  other,  even  as  God  also  in  Christ  forgave  you. — 
Eph.  4:32. 

Another  motive  at  work  down  through  all  the  ages  has 
been  gratitude  to  Jesus  Christ,  as  distinguished  from  a  sense 
of  duty  or  responsibility  as  found  in  yesterday's  reading. 
"Who  loved  me  and  gave  himself  for  me" — this  is  what 
moves  countless  lives  to  give  themselves  to  the  utmost.  One 
reason  why  more  do  not  feel  the  impulse  to  go  forth  to 
others  is  because  they  have  no  sense  of  gratitude  expressing 
itself  in  service. 

Listen  to  these  passionate  words  of  personal  devotion  to 
the  Christ :  "I  hear  the  voice  of  my  Conductor ;  east  and 
west,  north  and  south  all  are  indifferent  to  me  so  that  I 
may  but  advance  the  glory  of  our  Lord."  Thus  spoke  Francis 
Xavier,  one  of  the  greatest  of  Catholic  missionaries,  who  in 
ten  short  but  intense  years  proclaimed  his  Afaster's  glory 
in  India,  in  Japan,  and  in   China. 

An  early  martyr  in  Japan  wrote:  "I  die  full  of  security  and 
joy,  trusting  to  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ  my  Saviour,  who 
died  for  me  and  for  whose  presence  I  yearn  with  all  my 
soul — Father  Paul  Navarro,  who  in  a  few  hours  will  be 
burnt  for  Jesus  Christ." 

Similarly  Father  Ovieda,  missionary  to  Ethiopia,  in  reply 
to  the  Pope's  suggestion  that  he  should  return,  on  account 
of  the  frightful  hardships  of  his  life,  wrote:  "Whatever  may 
be   the   tribulations   which   surround   us,    I    ardently   wish   to 

03 


[V-6]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

remain  on  this  ungrateful  soil,  in  order  to  suffer,  and  per- 
haps to  die,  for  Jesus  Christ." 

Polycarp,  in  his  noble  answer  to  the  Roman  magistrate, 
voiced  the  same  spirit  of  gratitude  and  devotion:  "Fourscore 
and  six  years  have  I  been  His  servant,  and  He  hath  done 
me  no  wrong.  How  then  can  I  blaspheme  my  King  who 
saved  me?" 

Have  we  a  place  in  that  noble  succession  who  have  not  only 
felt,  but  by  deeds  have  expressed,  gratitude  to  our  Savior? 
It  is  entirely  possible  for  interest  in  Christian  work  abroad  to 
spring  from  other  motives.  The  enterprise  has  now  become 
so  large  and  its  results  so  demonstrably  great  that  an  intelli- 
gent man  can  hardly  in  self-respect  be  ignorant  of  them.  But 
this  may  be  merely  the  interest  of  the  well-informed  man 
who  wants  to  know  what  is  going  on  in  the  world,  and  not  an 
interest  which  comes  from  the  consciousness  of  great  in- 
debtedness to  Christ.  On  the  other  hand,  many  a  simple 
woman  in  an  obscure  village  has  this  mark  of  a  v/orld  Chris- 
tian. She  may  not  know  enough  to  picture  a  world  in  need ; 
she  may  have  little  appreciation  of  the  capacities  of  other 
peoples;  her  actual  expansion  of  interests  may  be  most  limited, 
but  she  gives,  and  gives  as  the  widow  in  the  temple,  because 
she  does  have  this  mark  of  a  world  Christian — gratitude  to  a 
Lord  and  Master  and  Savior. 

Fifth  Week,  Sixth  Day:  Practical  Experience  and 
the  Primacy  of  Christ 

And  I,  brethren,  when  I  came  unto  you,  came  not  with 
excellency  of  speech  or  of  v^^isdom,  proclaiming  to  you  the 
testimony  of  God.  For  I  determined  not  to  know  any- 
thing among  you,  save  Jesus  Christ,  and  him  crucified. — 
I   Cor.  2:1,  2. 

In  approaching  the  Corinthians,  Paul  did  not  attempt  to 
introduce  a  new  philosophy,  although  they  would  have  enjoyed 
such  discussion.  He  did  not  use  large  and  impressive  lan- 
guage about  the  destiny  of  man  or  the  unity  of  the  race.  His 
central  message  was  the  person,  Jesus  Christ. 

It  is  interesting  to  see  how  this  same  decision  is  reached  by 
modern  workers  amongst  other  religions.  A  veteran  leader 
in  India  says :  "For  years  after  I  became  a  missionary  in 
India  I   supposed  it  necessary  to  prove  the  truth  of   Chris- 

94 


IMPULSION  OF  GREAT  EXPERIENCE      [V-7] 

tianity.  Nowadays  I  do  not  attempt  that.  I  only  seek  to 
help  men  to  see  Christ  as  he  was  and  spoke  and  is,  that  is, 
I  try  to  exhibit  his  excellence,  his  betterness,  his  way  of  life."^ 
After  almost  two  score  years  of  missionary  service  another, 
a  well-known  author  and  scholar,  says :  "The  missionary  mes- 
sage today  must,  with  definiteness  and  distinctness,  be  cen- 
tered in  Christ  Jesus.  He  is  not  only  the  author  of  our  faith, 
he  is  also  its  substance.  To  know  him  adequately  and  to 
understand  the  work  which  he  has  wrought  for  humanity, 
and  to  interpret  in  simple  forms  his  divine  word  and  wisdom — 
this  is  not  only  tlje  fullest  message  the  world  has  known,  but 
is  all-sufficient  as  a  gospel  for  man  under  all  conditions."^ 

Few  things  were  more  striking  in  the  many  replies  from  the 
field  to  the  inquiries  of  the  great  Edinburgh  Missionary  Con- 
ference than  the  constant  reiteration  of  the  answer  that  the 
most  potent  of  the  living  forces  of  Christianity  is  the  his- 
torical Jesus  of  the  gospels. 

For  our  own  families,  our  own  communities,  and  our  own 
nation,  have  we  learned  the  lesson  that  came  to  Paul,  and  that 
has  been  ever  since  coming  to  our  representatives  abroad  and 
to  students  of  comparative  religion?  Have  we  learned  to 
place  first  things  first,  and  act  on  the  primacy  of  Christ  for 
ourselves  and  for  the  world? 

Fifth  Week,  Seventh  Day :  The  Second  Touch 

And  they  come  unto  Bethsaida.  And  they  bring  to  him 
a  blind  man,  and  beseech  him  to  touch  him.  And  he  took 
hold  of  the  blind  man  by  the  hand,  and  brought  him  out 
of  the  village;  and  when  he  had  spit  on  his  eyes,  and  laid 
his  hands  upon  him,  he  asked  him,  Seest  thou  aught? 
And  he  looked  up,  and  said,  I  see  men;  for  I  behold  them 
as  trees,  walking.  Then  again  he  laid  his  hands  upon  his 
eyes;  and  he  looked  stedfastly,  and  was  restored,  and  saw 
all  things  clearly.  And  he  sent  him  away  to  his  home, 
saying,  Do  not  even  enter  into  the  village. — Mark  8:22-25. 

The  blind  man  after  Jesus'  first  touch  saw  "men  as  trees, 
walking."  After  the  second  touch,  he  saw  "every  man 
clearly." 

Through    the    work    of    the    China    Forward    Evangelistic 


R.  A  Hume,  "Missions  from  the  Modern  View,"  p.  lOi. 
J.  P.  Jones,  "The  Modern  Missionary  Challenge,"  p.  131. 

95 


[V-c]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

Movement,  this  incident  has  become  symbolic,  to  Chinese  and 
foreign  workers  alike,  of  the  source  of  the  passionate  impul- 
sion of  a  Christian  worker.  Many  Christians  have  received 
the  first  touch ;  they  see  men  as  trees  walking — enrolments, 
adherents,  additions,  classes,  unions,  statistics — a  forest  of 
men.  They  see  men  in  the  mass,  but  fail  to  see  every  man 
clearly.  Their  need  is  for  the  second  touch  with  Christ  which 
opens  one's  eyes  to  see  men  one  by  one,  with  their  individual 
needs  and  potentialities,  failures  and  successes,  joys  and 
fears. 

"Lord  Christ,  Thy  second  touch  our  hearts  demand, 
Each*  separate  soul  to  see,  his  wounds  to  salve. 
His  wants  to  understand,  and  lead  him  home  to  Thee." 


COMMENT  FOR  THE  WEEK 

In  the  last  analysis,  the  measure  of  our  Christian  outreach 
to  the  world  is  the  measure  of  our  valuation  of  Jesus  Christ. 
If  conviction  and  experience  do  not  acclaim  him  as  the  world's 
great  good,  then  of  course  there  is  not  the  urge  that  comes 
with  the  consciousness  of  news  superlatively  good.  But  if 
in  him  we  feel  we  have  found  a  treasure  of  inestimable  worth, 
then  the  impulse  to  witness  is  spontaneous.  It  is  not  surpris- 
ing that  Zinzendorf,  the  founder  of  the  great  Moravian  mis- 
sionary movement,  was  able  to  say :  "I  have  but  one  passion 
and  that  is  Christ."  That  Chinese  was  right  who  drew  the 
inference:  "If  you  had  really  believed  in  what  you  tell  us 
is  the  Christian  message,  you  would  have  been  here  long  ago." 
For,  the  more  we  possess  of  "the  riches  of  the  glory"  of 
Jesus  Christ,  the  more  shall  we  feel  impelled  to  witness  to 
them.  Before  we  can  share  Paul's  high  estimation  of  the 
privilege  of  telling  others  of  him,  we  must,  with  Paul,  know 
"the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ." 

It  is  because  other  solutions  have  been  tried  and  found 
wanting,  that  men  of  broad  interests,  who  are  pondering  over 
the  welfare  of  the  world,  are  turning  with  conviction  cleansed 
through  sad  experience  to  Jesus  Christ  as  the  one  hope  of 
this  weary  world.  Not  from  any  narrow  proselytism,  but 
from  a  sober  judgment  as  to  the  only  ultimate  solution  of 
problems  which  face  the  individual  and  the  world,  do  these 
men  justify  Christian  missions  in  modern  times.     Confidence 

96 


IMPULSION  OF  GREAT  EXPERIENCE      [V-c] 

grows  that,  if  men  will  only  do  sustained  and  progressive 
thinking  illuminated  by  Christ's  interpretation  of  man's  being 
and  of  God's  purpose  for  mankind,  both  the  individual  and 
the  social  complex  in  which  he  finds  himself  enmeshed  will 
experience  growth  of  the  fullest,  richest  kind. 

Plainly,  what  is  of  such  universal  value  must  not  be,  through 
indifference  or  selfishness,  kept  for  ourselves  alone.  "It  is 
the  sincere  and  deep  conviction  of  my  soul,"  says  Phillips 
Brooks,  "when  I  declare,  that  if  the  Christian  faith  does  not 
culminate  and  complete  itself  in  the  effort  to  make  Christ 
known  to  all  the  world,  that  faith  appears  to  me  to  be  a 
thoroughly  unreal  and  insignificant  thing,  destitute  of  power 
for  the  single  life  and  incapable  of  being  convincingly  proved 
to  be  true."  If  Christianity  is  to  have  any  serious  significance 
in  my  life  or  the  lives  of  my  children,  then  it  ought  to  have 
significance  for  every  man  and  for  every  man's  children  all 
around  the  world. 

The  difference  between  the  Christian  and  the  non-Christian 
attitude  toward  Jesus  is  not  the  difference  of  more  or  less, 
or  of  better  or  worse,  but  the  difference  of  life  and  death,  A 
vivid  and  deep  sense  that  in  him  we  have  something  wonder- 
ful and  incomparable  makes  a  provincial  man  into  a  world 
Christian.  , 

II 

The  pricelessness  of  the  treasure  found  in  Jesus  Christ  often 
becomes  most  apparent  when  we  see  what  religion  is  where 
there  is  no  knowledge  of  him.  Some  people  fail  to  have  a 
zealous  enthusiasm  for  him  simply  because  they  have  never 
vividly  realized  any  situation  or  condition  where  his  life  and 
spirit  was  not  dominant.  Brought  into  the  presence  of  such 
conditions,  they  at  once  become  aware  of  the  blessings  that 
have  come  to  them  through  Christianity. 

Such  was  the  experience  of  a  young  man  fresh  from  college, 
who  went  out  to  the  mission  field  for  a  term  of  three  years 
only.  He  had  been  brought  up  in  a  Christian  home,  and  had 
been  so  environed  that  he  hardly  knew  what  it  was  not  to 
be  a  Christian.  It  was  not  until  he  arrived  in  a  non-Christian 
land  and  saw  what  Christianity  is  not,  that  the  full  enthusiasm 
came  over  him  for  what  Christianity  is.  It  was  the  realization 
of  the  uniqueness  of  the  Christian  experience,  purpose,  and 
dynamic  that  changed  him   from  a  "short  term"  man  to  a 

97 


[V-c]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

regular  missionary.  He  saw  more  clearly  than  he  had  ever 
done  in  America  that  his  religious  experience  of  faith,  de- 
pendence, and  love  toward  the  God  of  righteousness  and  love, 
as  well  as  the  ethical  expression  in  human  relationships  to 
which  this  experience  led,  were  peculiarly  Christian  phe- 
nomena. Submerged  as  we  are  here  in  what  is  relatively  a 
Christian  environment,  we  may  easily  miss  the  stimulus  to 
our  sense  of  values  that  comes  from  contrast. 

A  look  at  four  of  the  greatest  religions  will  deepen  our 
sense  of  the  riches  in  Jesus  Christ. 

I.  Hinduism  is  so  protean  that 'beliefs  as  variant  as  atheism 
and  theism,  as  polytheism  and  monotheism  may  rest  unchal- 
lenged within  its  fold.  That,  however,  which  no  Hindu  may 
disregard  and  still  remain  a  Hindu,  is  caste.  In  the  past, 
caste  has  had  its  use  in  furnishing  certain  moral  restraints,  in 
providing  for  a  certain  division  of  labor,  in  enabling  people 
to  unite  and  cooperate  within  certain  narrow  limits,  and  in 
making  poor-laws  to  some  extent  unnecessary ;  but  its  three 
thousand  marriage-tight  compartments,  its  separative  tend- 
encies, its  limitation  of  social  responsibility  to  the  smaller 
group,  its  unsocial  restrictions  make  it  a  terrible  handicap  in 
attaining  any  kind  of  nationalism  and  practically  preclude  a 
democracy. 

The  most  pervasive  belief  of  Hinduism  is  that  man  is  in- 
volved in  a  series  of  rebirths,  each  successive  birth  determined, 
however,  so  inexorably  by  what  has  gone  before,  that  moral 
renewal  has  no  place.  There  is  no  provision  for  grace  to 
come  into  the  system,  so  that  even  the  stimulus  to  go  out  in 
loving  helpfulness  to  others  is  cut  out  at  its  very  root.  Popu- 
lar Hinduism  furthermore,  as  one  sees  on  every  hand  in 
India,  means  idolatry  and  polytheism. 

In  vedantic  thought,  on  the  other  hand,  Hinduism  at  its 
highest  sets  before  the  soul  as  the  goal  of  realization  such  an 
identity  with  the  Supreme  that  no  place  is  left  for  individu- 
ality, for  freedom,  and  for  responsibility.  This  supreme  is 
the  inscrutable  "Brahma"  of  which  nothing  can  be  said  except 
"neti,  neti  (not  this,  not  that)."  For  Brahma  cannot  be  de- 
scribed or  known.  Thus  it  happens  that,  while  it  may  be  said 
that  the  Hindus  know  better  than  we  that  God  is,  we  through 
Christ  know  better  than  they  what  God  is.  Hence  it  is  not 
strange  that  the  most  common  prayer  rising  from  the  reli- 
gious heart  of  India  is:   "From  the  unreal,  lead  me  to  the 

98 


IMPULSION  OF  GREAT  EXPERIENCE      [V-c] 

Real;  from  the  darkness,  lead  me  to  the  Light;  from  death, 
lead  me  to  Immortality." 

From  the  heart  of  India,  hungry  with  its  long  search  for 
God,  comes  marked  testimony  to  the  riches  she  finds  in  Christ. 
One  of  the  most  distinguished  Brahmans  in  South  India  says 
that  "Jesus  Christ  upon  the  cross  represents  the  highest  type 
and  noblest  ideal  of  life  that  India  has  ever  known."  Protab 
Mozamdar,  the  distinguished  leader  of  the  Brahmo-Samaj, 
testifies  that  "Christ  is  a  tremendous  reality.  The  destiny  of 
India  hangs  upon  the  solution  of  his  nature  and  our  relation 
to  him."  Surely  Christ  must  have  meant  much  to  Keshab 
Chandra  Sen,  one  of  India's  greatest  reformers,  to  cause  him 
to  burst  forth  in  this  glowing  tribute :  "It  is  Christ  who  rules 
British  India,  and  not  the  British  government.  None  but 
Christ,  none  but  Christ,  none  but  Christ  deserve  this  bright, 
this  precious  diadem,  and  Jesus  shall  have  it." 

As  a  final  testimony  to  Christ  from  India  let  us  hear  the 
witness  of  one  of  the  leading  Brahmans  of  Western  India, 
a  man  who  has  been  knighted  by  the  British  Government,  and 
made  a  judge.  In  answer  to  the  question,  "What  is  Jesus 
Christ  to  you  ?"  he  said :  "There  in  my  bedroom  hangs  the  pic- 
ture that  is  the  greatest  inspiration  of  my  life,  the  picture 
of  Christ  crucified  on  the  cross,  that  I  may  see  it  night  and 
morning.  Every  night  before  I  go  to  bed  I  read  the  Bible. 
I  have  not  only  read  it  through,  but  have  read  it  again  and 
again.  My  favorite  passages  are  John's  gospel  and  Paul's 
practical  epistles  to  the  Corinthians.  Every  morning  from 
six  to  seven  I  spend  in  meditation  and  prayer  and  hymns  be- 
fore I  go  out  for  the  day,  and  I  draw  my  inspiration  from  Jesus 
Christ,  and  his  power  to  uplift  the  outcast  and  the  depressed. 
None  other  has  inspired  such  social  consciousness.  I  am  a 
Christian — though  not  baptized,  not  on  the  records  of  the 
Christian  Church.  The  Kingdom  may  not  be  coming  as 
you  would  like  it,  but  it  is  coming  nevertheless.  The  ideas 
that  lie  at  the  heart  of  the  Christian  Gospel  are  permeating 
every  department  of  Hindu  thought  and  society,  and  the 
Kingdom  is  coming  in  India." 

2.  Buddha,  with  marked  insight,  taught  that  the  self-seeking 
grasping  life  is  unsaved,  and  that  death  produces  no  essen- 
tially moral  change.  The  cause  of  man's  misery  is  within 
himself,  and  it  is  not  necessary  for  him  to  look  elsewhere  for 
salvation.     But  Buddha's  only  remedy  was  the  negative  one 

99 


[V-c]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

of  suppressing  all  desire — a  process  which  forever  focuses 
thought  on  self.  Not  in  nobly  giving  out  the  self  in  some 
objective  venture  as  Christ  would  have  us  do,  but  in  quench- 
ing all  such  outreach  does  Buddha  find  salvation.  There  is  thus 
a  fundamental  pessimism  at  the  bottom  of  his  message,  for 
he  held  that  misery  is  inevitably  connected  with  life  in  every 
form.  In  the  absence  of  all  constructive  optimism  and  in 
its  failure  to  emphasize  the  worth  and  dignity  of  man,  Bud- 
dhism fails  to  furnish  that  dynamic  without  which  Buddhist 
lands  will  never  rise. 

Buddha,  furthermore,  had  no  message  concerning  God.  In 
this  practical  ignoring  of  the  existence  of  deity  he  left  his 
followers  with  one  of  their  deepest  needs  unmet.  Nothing 
could  show  more  plainly  than  the  history  of  the  development 
of  Buddhism  how  agnosticism  and  atheism  fail  to  satisfy 
mankind.  For  the  humbler  among  Buddha's  followers  even 
now  have  their  animistic  worship  of  demons  and  nature- 
deities  ;  while  others  erect  images  to  Buddha  himself,  as  God 
or  an  incarnation  of  God,  in  order  to  satisfy  the  natural 
impulse  to  worship.  In  one  way  or  another  through  the  cen- 
turies the  people  have  tried  to  bring  God  back  into  their 
religion,  but  always  the  agnostic  spirit  of  Gautama  has  been 
a  heavy  drag.  Buddhism  even  in  its  highest  form  makes 
Amida  either  one  amongst  many  gods,  or  else  a  mere  idea 
of  an  ideal  personality,  since  Buddhists  hold  that  it  is  beyond 
man's  power  to  know  whether  there  is  really  a  personal  God. 
In  Buddhism  at  the  highest  we  have  an  idea  of  a  savior,  but 
no  historic  savior. 

In  the  light  of  these  facts  with  reference  to  Buddhism, 
how  inevitable  is  the  witness  of  converted  Buddhists  to  what 
they  find  in  Christ !  An  active  modern  Christian  says :  "I  had 
looked  upon  Shinto  as  an  ethical  system :  and  as  for  Buddhism, 
though  one  can  conquer  the  desires  of  the  world  through  it, 
yet  I  felt  it  did  not  help  me  in  my  longing  for  the  Infinite. 
On  taking  up  the  study  of  Christianity  I  more  and  more 
realized  the  ideal  personality  of  Christ,  and  at  last  I  had  the 
joy  of  feeling  that  through  the  living  personality  of  Christ,  I 
came  in  touch  with  the  Truth.  The  personality  of  Christ  be- 
came to  me  as  the  longed-for  light  of  the  sun.  If  I  could 
only  gaze  on  it,  surely  even  my  miserable  self  would  be 
drawn  upwards."  Another,  a  Japanese  lecturer,  on  hearing 
of  the  new  teaching,  sent  to  Shanghai,  secured  a  copy  of  the 

100 


IMPULSION  OF  GREAT  EXPERIENCE      [V-c] 

gospels  in  Chinese,  and  read  it  eagerly.  "He  was  amazed ;  in 
all  literature  he  had  never  met  with  such  a  character.  Both 
brain  and  heart  were  stirred.  He  fell  in  love  with  Jesus, 
the  Christ.  Without  seeing  a  missionary  or  knowing  of  a 
church,  he  became  a  Christian." 

3.  Confucius  did  not  give  a  religion  to  the  Chinese.  What 
he  did  give  was  a  national,  agnostic  system  of  ethics.  Hold- 
ing in  a  most  commendable  way  that  human  nature  is  essen- 
tially and  potentially  good,  Confucius  does  not  impart  inspira- 
tion for  and  expectation  of  the  improvement  of  that  nature. 
Attention  is  not  directed  to  a  gloriously  progressive  future, 
but  minds  are  saturated  with  the  adage,  "Let  today  be  like 
yesterday." 

Furthermore,  Confucius  had  nothing  to  teach  the  common 
people  with  reference  to  God.  Shang-Ti  or  High  Heaven  was 
an  impersonal  transcendent  power  that  did  not  concern  ordi- 
nary folk.  Hence  worship  and  communion  with  a  supreme, 
personal  God  had  no  part  in  the  message  of  Confucius.  The 
aspiring  human  being  must  be  self-sufficient,  for  no  help  is 
assured  from  Shang-Ti.  Reverence  of  ancestors,  whose  con- 
tinued influence  cannot  be  neglected,  takes  the  place  of  reli- 
gious worship. 

Confucianism  still  retains  a  tremendous  hold  on  the  con- 
science and  the  practice  of  the  entire  Far  East,  but  thoughtful 
leaders  recognize  that  it  is  proving  to  be  inadequate  for 
twentieth  century  civilization.  The  fundamental  fivefold  rela- 
tionships of  life  come  out  of  an  autocratic  era,  and  Confucian- 
ism does  not  possess  the  springs  of  life  and  progress  that  can 
transform  and  enlarge  these  into  the  democratic  relationships 
necessary  for  today.  Yung  Tao,  the  pioneer  of  modern  social 
reform  in  North  China,  joins  the  Christian  Church  because 
he  finds  there  the  abiding  inspiration  of  genuine  social  re- 
form. Chang  Po  Ling,  an  acknowledged  leader  amongst 
China's  modern  educationalists,  turns  to  Christ  for  the  ethical 
basis  of  the  education  China  needs. 

4.  In  Muhammad  we  find  what  was  for  his  time  a  great 
reformer  and  religious  leader.  In  an  age  when  a  man  might 
take  any  number  of  wives,  he  limited  the  number  to  four.  He 
alleviated  the  condition  of  slaves,  gave  certain  legal  rights 
to  women  that  they  had  not  had  before,  and  introduced  a 
spirit  of  brotherljness  toward  fellow-believers  that  dissolved 
the  feud  spirit  of  the  time.     But  at  their  best,  Muhammad's 

lOI 


[V-c]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

ethical  teachings  do  not  rise  above  those  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, and  no  serious  student  would  hold  that  in  spiritual  in- 
sight and  loftiness  of  ideal  they  even  approach  the  teachings 
of  Jesus.  Tying  up  his  religion  inextricably  with  the  legalistic, 
detailed  directions  of  the  Koran,  Muhammad  doomed  it  to 
static  unprogressiveness.  Acknowledgedly  an  advance  on  the 
conditions  of  his  time — conditions  of  idolatry,  slavery, 
polygamy,  and  divorce — the  authoritative  revelation  of  Mu- 
hammadanism  does  not  permit  nor  inspire  the  progressive 
advance  that  man  must  make.  The  modern  world  has  little 
to  learn  from  Muhammad. 

Muhammad  himself  had  undoubtedly  qualities  of  character 
and  temperament  which  drew  people  to  him  with  intense 
loyalty;  but  the  days  following  the  Mecca  period  show  a  dis- 
tinct degeneration  of  character.  Autocracy,  vindictiveness,  un- 
scrupulous assumption  of  political  power,  hard-heartedness 
and  cruelty  to  enem.ies,  sensual  propensities  which  claimed 
divine  sanction  for  wives  far  in  excess  of  the  number  allowed 
to  common  man — these  are  not  elements  we  need  for  the 
world   today. 

Religiously,  his  intense  conviction  of  the  oneness  and 
sovereignty  of  God  is  an  emphasis  of  permanent  worth,  as 
is  also  his  inculcation  of  the  habit  of  prayer  and  of  surrender 
to  God.  But  Muhammad  has  done  m.ore  to  deny  the  existence 
of  other  gods  than  to  enrich  the  conception  of  the  character 
of  his  one  God.  It  is  monotheism  without  the  Christ  of  God, 
and  therefore  without  the  God  revealed  in  Christ.  The  very 
sovereignty  of  God  has  been  interpreted  as  Kismet  or  fate, 
leading  on  the  one  side  to  the  zealous  abandon  of  the  fanatic, 
or  on  the  other  to  indolence  and  lack  of  initiative.  It  is  a  far- 
off,  transcendent  apotheosis  of  power  that  Muhammad  gives 
us.  But  where  force  is  the  chief  characteristic  of  God,  it  is 
not  surprising  that  force  should  be  exalted  in  social  and 
political  life. 

Islam  leaves  the  heart  unsatisfied  with  its  far-off  potentate 
as  God.  It  is  highly  significant  that  this  religion,  whose 
bitterest  reaction  is  against  the  deification  of  Christ  or  of  any 
man  whatsoever,  nevertheless  has  been  driven  in  self-preserva- 
tion to  satisfy  man's  longing  for  a  divine-human  mediator  by 
an  anti-Islamic  adaptation.  A  convert  from  Islam,  distin- 
guished for  devoutness  and  insight  into  his  former  religion, 
holds  that  "the  life  and  history  of  Islam  afford  the  strongest 

102 


IMPULSION  OF  GREAT  EXPERIENCE      [V-c] 

psychological  argument  and  the  mightiest  historical  proof  of 
the  inmost  irrepressible  yearning  of  the  human  heart  after 
Christ." 

The  further  one  pursues  the  comparative  study  of  religion 
the  more  one  is  convinced  of  the  uniqueness  of  Christ.  No 
other  religion  has  a  life  comparable  in  significance  with  his. 
No  other  religion  has  been  able  to  impart  life  and  progress 
and  power  to  the  same  degree.  In  that  remarkable  fourth 
volume  of  the  Report  of  the  World  Missionary  Conference 
at  Edinburgh,  where  the  various  non-Christian  faiths  are  so 
sympathetically  yet  discriminatingly  surveyed,  the  final  sum- 
mary asserts  that  "along  with  the  generous  recognition  of  all 
that  is  true  and  good  in  these  religions,  there  goes  also  the 
universal  and  emphatic  witness  to  the  absoluteness  of  the 
Christian  faith.  This  very  charity  and  tolerance,  on  the  other 
hand,  makes  more  impressive  the  agreement  as  to  the  absolute- 
ness and  finality  of  Christ."" 

Ill 

If  from  a  more  familiar  angle  we  note  what  Jesus  Christ 
means  to  us,  we  gratefully  acknowledge  that  it  is  he  who 
enables  us  to  believe  that  the  character  of  God  includes  the 
element  outlined  in  the  last  chapter.  The  unique  effect  of 
the  life  of  Christ  on  a  person  is  not  merely  to  impart  an  idea^ 
but  also  to  instill  a  conviction  concerning  the  existence  and 
love  of  God — something  far  more  difHcult.  And  as  amidst 
life's  strain  we  return  to  him,  we  find  an  inward  renewal 
of  that  mdubitable  assurance  of  the  character  and  nature  of 
God.  The  world  did  not  really  grasp  that  conception  of  God's 
essential  nature  until  Christ  lived,  and  taught,  and  died.  For 
as  Christians  we  do  not  first  get  our  conception  of  God  from 
philosophy  or  from  science,  and  then,  looking  at  Jesus  artd 
comparing  the  two,  say,  "Jesus  is  God."  As  Christians  we 
come  to  God  through  Jesus  Christ.  The  conception  gained 
through  him  is  normative  for  our  religious  life.  If  science 
or  philosophy  should  seem  to  give  returns  as  to  what  God  is, 
differing  from  what  we  find  through  Christ,  we  would  still,  if 
Christian,  hold  to  his  God  and  Father.  From  this  standpoint 
Christianity  may  be  said  to  be  Christ;  or  perhaps  better,  it  is 
the  mind,  the  heart,  the  will  of  the  man  who  has  learned  to 


3  "  World  Missionary  Conference,  igio,"  Vol.  IV.,  p.  268. 
103 


[V-c]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

worship  as  God  the  being  revealed  in  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  be- 
cause God  is  such  a  one  as  we  see  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ 
that  we  know  he  must  be  for  all  the  world. 

But  the  treasure  we  possess  does  not  consist  in  the  par- 
ticular conception  of  reality  we  obtain  through  Jesus  Christ; 
that  is,  we  do  not  first  find  God  in  Jesus  Christ  and  then 
having  thus  possessed  him  impart  this  knowledge  to  other 
lands.  Our  treasure  is  Jesus  Christ  himself.  Inspiration  in 
Christianity  comes  not  from  a  creed  but  from  a  person.  The 
eftect  of  his  personality  on  us  is  what  Christianity  is  in 
America ;  the  unfettered  effect  that  his  personality  will  have 
in  China  is  what  we  want  Christianity  to  be  in  China.  The 
gift  we  bear  to  China  ought  not  to  be  our  Western  Chris- 
tianity, but  the  Christ  who  produced  our  Christianity.  "No 
more  doctrine,"  a  Japanese  pastor  said  to  Drummond,  "Japan 
wants  Christ."  These  nations  want  Christ  because  they,  too, 
are  beginning  to  realize  that 

"Men  as  men, 
Can  reach  no  higher  than  the  Son  of  God 
The  perfect  Head  and  Pattern  of  mankind.  .  .  . 
The  ultimate  symbol  of  Divinity 
How  can  we  dream  of?     We  have  got  no  sense 
Whereby  to  seize  it:  but  in  Him  we  touch 
The  ultimate  symbol  of   Humanity, 
Humanity  that  touches  the  Divine  .  .  . 
For  God  has  other  Words  for  other  worlds. 
But  for  this  world,  the  Word  of  God  is  Christ." 

— "The  Sermon  in  the  Hospital." 

Nothing  is  more  certain  than  that  the  Christian  experience 
continues  to  be  rooted  in  the  personality  of  Christ.  "He  that 
hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father"  (John  14:9).  "No  one 
cometh  unto  the  Father,  but  by  me"  (John  14:6).  "No  one 
knoweth  the  Son,  save  the  Father ;  neither  doth  any  know  the 
Father,  save  the  Son,  and  he  to  whomsoever  the  Son  willeth 
to  reveal  him"  (Matt.  11:27). 

If,  then,  we  wish  all  people  on  the  earth  to  think  of  God 
as  forth-streaming,  self-sacrificing,  resourceful,  constructive 
love,  we  must  make  it  possible  for  them  to  come  into  contact 
with  the  personality  who  incarnates  this  character,  and  who, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  in  land  after  land,  has  made  it  easy  for 

104 


IMPULSION  OF  GREAT  EXPERIENCE      [V-c] 

men  to  accept  his  conviction  concerning  the  Father.  If  we 
are  interested  in  building  up  a  world  society  of  men  and 
women  who  will  embody  toward  their  fellows  the  disposition 
of  outgoing  service  that  God  manifests  towards  us,  then  we 
must  enable  them  to  come  into  fellowship  with  him  without 
whom  we  acknowledge  we  would  utterly  fail. 

IV 

It  is  not  God  alone,  however,  that  we  see  in  Jesus  Christ. 
We  get  our  conception  of  man  throilgh  him  and  in  him  find 
the  only  hopeful  solution  of  the  relationship  of  man  to  man. 
If  we  select  the  forces  that  are  making  toward  the  betterment 
of  our  civilization,  and  realize  how  many  of  these  owe  their 
strength  to  his  impulse,  then  we  are  thankful  that  our  lives 
and  those  of  our  wives  and  children  have  been  placed  in  a 
country  that  has  to  some  extent  come  under  his  influence. 
To  the  extent  that  we  vividly  appreciate  our  indebtedness  to 
him  do  we  feel  impelled  to  share  this  blessing  with  lands 
where  people  face  life  and  death  without  the  help  that  Christ 
brings  to  your  life  and  mine.  Gratitude  that  principles  are 
at  work  in  our  civilization,  which  will  eventually  enable  us 
to  take  our  highest  place  and  attain  our  noblest  mission  as  a 
people,  should  have  one  sure  corollary — and  that  is  a  generous 
determination  that  other  peoples  shall  have  the  privilege  of 
evolving  under  the  transforming  influence  of  these  same 
principles. 

Jesus  has  brought  a  higher  estimate  of  human  worth  and 
capacity.  The  boundless  possibilities  of  man  stand  revealed 
in  him.  The'  character  of  the  God  of  whom  we  are  assured 
in  Christ  is  guarantee  for  growth  of  an  endless  kind.  To 
him  we  owe  a  new  understanding  of  and  faith  in  humanity,  a 
new  vision  for  society,  the  greatest  impulse  toward  the  demo- 
cratic equality  of  man  and  woman,  the  truth  which  makes 
man  free,  the  freedom  not  of  servants  but  of  friends,  and 
the  inward  impulsion  to  service  which  is  the  highest  expres- 
sion to  which  freedom  can  be  put.  It  is  because  he  has  re- 
vealed the  possibilities  of  a  perfected  humanity  that  we  can 
never  be  content  to  leave  any  of  earth's  groups  without  this 
knowledge. 

V 

But  let  us  see  clearly  that  our  treasure  does  not  consist 
105 


[V-c]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

merely  in  ideas  and  ideals.  It  is  not  primarily  the  principles 
of  Christian  ethics  which  convince  us  we  have  a  message  for 
the  world.     Other  systems  have  ideals  and  moral  formulae. 

Confucius,  for  example,  three  times  enunciated  the  golden 
rule — though  in  its  negative  form,  "Do  not  unto  others  what 
you  would  not  have  them  do  to  you."  Laotze  came  close 
to  the  highest  reach  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  when  he 
described  the  way  of  a  good  man :  "He  will  make  himself 
correct  and  (so)  transform  others.  He  will  pity  orphans, 
and  compassionate  widows ;  he  will  respect  the  old  and  cherish 
the  young.  Even  the  insect  tribes,  grass,  and  trees  he  should 
not  hurt.  He  ought  to  pity  the  malignant  tendencies  of 
others;  to  rejoice  over  their  excellencies;  to  help  them  in 
their  straits ;  to  rescue  them  from  their  perils ;  to  regard  their 
gains  as  if  they  were  his  own,  and  their  losses  in  the  same 
way ;  not  to  publish  their  shortcomings ;  not  to  vaunt  his  own 
superiorities ;  to  put  a  stop  to  what  is  evil,  and  exalt  and 
display  what  is  good ;  to  yield  much,  and  take  little  for  him- 
self ;  to  receive  insult  without  resenting  it,  and  honor  with  an 
appearance  of  apprehension ;  to  bestow  favors  without  seek- 
ing for  a  return,  and  give  to  others  without  any  subsequent 
regret;  this  is  what  is  called  a  good  man." 

In  fact  v,-e  are  told  by  missionary  scholars  that  practically 
every  Christian  doctrine  we  can  mention  may  be  found  some- 
where in  the  scriptures  of  India.  No,  it  is  the  dynamic  that 
they  need,  and  that  they  find  in  Jesus.  Amidst  these  high 
truths  of  the  non-Christian  world  comes  the  sad  lament  of 
their  choicest  souls,  embodied,  for  example,  in  the  words  of 
a  Hindu,  a  man  of  rare  religious  nature,  whefn  he  laments 
to  his  Christian  friend :  "Would  that  I  had  some  one  as 
you  have  to  enable  me  to  attain  to  my  aspirations."  Many 
of  the  leaders  in  China's  confused  political  world  are  saying 
with  the  late  President  Yuan  Shi-Kai :  "Confucianism  has 
given  us  valuable  principles ;  Christianity  gives  us  power." 

From  Japan  comes  the  same  testimony.  A  few  years  ago 
Count  Okuma  said :  "The  origin  of  modern  civilization  is  to 
be  found  in  the  teaching  of  the  Sage  of  Judea,  by  whom 
alone  the  moral  dynamic  is  supplied."  Mr.  Kanzo  Uchimura, 
a  Buddhist  convert,  and  one  of  the  foremost  Christians  of 
Japan,  testifies :  "Indeed  I  can  say  with  truthfulness  that  I 
saw  good  men  only  in  Christendom.  Brave  men,  honest  men, 
righteous  men  are  not  wanting  in  heathendom,  but  I  doubt 

io6 


IMPULSION  OF  GREAT  EXPERIENCE      [V-c] 

whether  good  men — by  which  I  mean  those  men,  summed  up 
in  that  one  English  word  'gentleman'  which  has  no  equiv- 
alent in  any  other  language — I  doubt  whether  such  are  pos- 
sible without  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  to  mould  us.  The 
Christian,  God  Almighty's  gentleman — his  is  a  unique  figure 
in  this  world,  indescribable,  beautiful,  noble,  and. lovable." 

Simply  as  a  matter  of  fact  it  is  found  the  world  around 
that  the  personality  of  Jesus  Christ  is  the  greatest  asset  man- 
kind has.  Power  to  attain  is  found  in  him.  Intelligent  con- 
verts testify  that  what  they  value  most  in  Christ  is  the  dynamic 
actually  to  embody  ideals. 

Over  and  over  again  missionaries  find  that  no  amount  of 
loving  teaching  about  the  Father,  taken  alone,  will  change  the 
lower-leveled  life  about  them.  Many  have  had  the  experience 
of  the  missionary  who  testifies:  "I  have  seen  people  greatly 
moved  when  they  heard  of  the  Father's  tender  love,  but  I 
have  never  induced  a  single  one  to  act  any  differently  until 
he  had  learned  something  of  Jesus  Christ." 

Expressing  it  psychologically,  one  may  say  that  mankind  is 
by  nature  capable  of  becoming  what  we  call  Christian,  and 
that  Christ  is  the  stimulus  which  above  all  things  else  draws 
forth  this  kind  of  life.  The  prize  we  want  to  share  with 
others  is  this  unique  stimulus — the  person  of  Christ.  We 
tell  others  about  our  experience  and  share  with  them  the 
explanations  of  our  experience  (that  is,  our  theology),  only 
that  they  may  reasonably  be  induced  to  subject  themselves 
to  the  influence  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  put  themselves  steadfastly, 
receptively,  and  obediently  in  his  presence,  to  let  his  life 
play  upon  theirs,  transforming,  infilling,  giving  rebirth. 

VI 

Notice  the  experience  of  a  Confucianist  who  at  the  sugges- 
tion of  a  Christian  friend  bought  a  copy  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment and  began  to  read  it.  At  first  he  thought,  "This  Jesus 
is  a  sage.  Of  course  he  is  not  the  equal  of  Confucius.  But 
he  is  worthy  to  rank  as  a  sage."  "Then,"  he  says,  "I  read 
again  and  again  the  life  and  teachings  of  Jesus  as  recorded 
in  the  gospels,  and  I  compared  them  with  the  life  and  teach- 
ings of  Confucius.  Confucius  did  not  fall  in  my  estimation. 
On  the  contrary,  the  more  I  studied  him  the  more  I  admired 
him.  But  Jesus  rose  even  more.  His  teaching  and  his  charac- 
ter took  hold  of  me.     It  increased  until  I  was  forced  to  the 

107 


[V-c]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

belief  that  Confucius  is  a  sage,  but  that  Jesus  Christ  is  God, 
and  I  want  to  dedicate  my  life  to  his  service." 

It  is  that  last  sentence  that  is  significant.  This  Chinese 
convert  had  an  inward  impulsion  to  dedicate  his  life  to  his 
new  Master's  service.  If  you  do  not  feel  passionately  exultant 
over  the  treasure  you  have  in  Jesus  Christ,  is  it  because  you 
have  never  reflected  on  his  significance  in  your  life?  Is  it 
because  you  have  never  studied  about  the  faiths  of  other 
lands,  in  contrast  with  which  the  value  in  Christ  comes  out 
like  a  negative  in  the  developer?  Or  is  it  that  you  are  merely 
a  nominal  Christian,  and  are  really  not  fulfilling  the  known 
conditions  for  obtaining  the  results  of  association  with  him 
and  with  the  Father  to  whom  he  is  the  Way? 

Our  answer  to  the  call  of  need  will  depend  upon  the  state 
of  our  own  inner  bank  account.  If  we  have  gained  a  life 
companion — a  savior  from  dark  forebodings,  despair,  and  fear 
— we  are  quick  to  know  that  others  must  have  him,  too.  If 
in  the  trammels  of  sinful  habits  we  have  found  a  Power  to 
save,  not  only  to  reenforce  the  will  but  to  change  the  affection, 
w-e  are  alert  to  tell  of  this  wonderful  Savior,  of  the  dynamic 
which  reenforces  human  efforts,  and  of  the  transforming 
power  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  If  there  have  been  deserts  in 
our  own  experience,  where  we  cared  not  for  things  above  the 
sordid  round  of  the  day's  toil,  and  if  these  deserts  have  been 
made  to  blossom,  we  will  naturally  want  the  same  blessing 
to  reach  others. 

In  fact,  each  great  world  need  is  a  test  of  our  own 
spiritual  temperature,  revealing  the  degree  in  which  we  possess 
understanding  and  quick  response.  One  can  speak  to  cultured 
audiences  of  college-trained  men  and  women  and  find  a  stony 
heart  On  the  other  hand,  simple-minded  factory  girls  have 
shown  the  most  marvelous  spirit  of  responsiveness  when  told 
the  same  facts  of  need.  Does  one  wonder  why  this  is?  Re- 
sponse is  not  guaranteed  by  intellect,  culture,  travel,  or  the 
scientific  spirit.  Neither  will  an  elaborate  ethical  system 
assure  one  of  sympathy  that  results  in  action.  There  is  but 
one  thing  which  makes  unfailingly  for  this  world  passion, 
this  identity  of  interest,  this  outgoing,  self-giving  life — and 
that  is  contact  with  Jesus  Christ.  With  the  distinctive  Chris- 
tian experience  lacking  how  can  there  be  enthusiasm? 

When,  then,  we  pause  to  be  receptive  and  to  weigh  intelli- 
gently his  meaning  for  the  world,  we  can  say,  with  Henry 

io8 


IMPULSION  OF  GREAT  EXPERIENCE      [V-c] 

Churchill  King,  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  most  significant  person 
in  all  history ;  that  his  life  and  teachings  have  more  light 
than  any  other  fact  of  history  to  throw  upon  God,  upon  man, 
upon  all  the  varied  relations  of  God  and  man,  and  so  upon 
the  practical  problem  of  daily  living  in  its  deepest  aspects; 
that  therefore  the  all-inclusive,  indispensable  need  of  men 
is  to  know  him ;  and  that  the  one  supreme  wisdom  is  to  give 
this  greatest  of  all  persons  his  full  opportunity  with  every 
human  being  and  every  aspect  of  organized  society. 

TOPICS  FOR  DISCUSSION 

1.  What  do  we  in  America  need  more — new  moral  ideals, 
or  more  moral  dynamic?  What  do  non-Christian  lands  most 
need? 

2.  What  are  some  of  the  sources  for  a  great  dynamic  for 
highest  world  service?  Arrange  these  in  the  order  of  their 
effectiveness  upon  you. 

3.  Choose  some  one  religion  and  try  to  outline  in  a  brief 
paragraph  what  allegiance  to  it  would  mean  to  you. 

4.  How  has  Christ  influenced  the  civic  laws  of  our  country 
as  compared  with  the  laws  of  non-Christian  lands? 

5.  Why  do  actual  converts  often  exhibit  more  missionary 
zeal  than  the  second  or  third  or  sixty-third  generation  of 
converts  ? 


109 


CHAPTER  VI 

Zeal  for  the  Manifestation  of  God 

Great  as  is  the  Good  News  of  a  Savior  of  Alankind,  it  is 
not  sufficient  for  the  world  Christian  merely  to  spread  this 
message  of  Jesus.  He  must  embody  the  message  in  his  ozvn 
life  and  in  society.  Jesus  taught  that  all  life  must  proceed 
from  within  outward.  The  individual  must  first  prove  that 
he  has  a  great  Gospel  by  what  it  can  do  in  his  own  heart.  He 
must  be  a  living  witness  to  God's  power  to  save  from  sin 
day  by  day  in  prosaic,  practical  realms.  No  man  will  listen 
to  words  if  the  character  and  daily  walk  behind  the  words 
belie  the  speaker's  testimony.  Emerson  was  right  when  he 
said,  "What  you  are  speaks  so  loud  I  cannot  hear  what  you 
say." 

And  coordinate  with  the  manifestation  in  the  individual 
there  must  be  the  corporate  embodiment  of  the  message. 
Christians  must  live  together  and  in  relation  to  all  others  in 
such  a  way  that  the  truth  of  God  can  manifest  itself  in  human 
love.  The  great  ideal  which  Jesus  brought  into  the  world 
was  a  way  of  living  together  which  should  be  God-like.  It 
was  not  simply  a  way  of  living,  mark  you,  but  a  way  of  living 
together.  This  ideal  he  called  the  Kingdom  of  God — the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven. 

Sixth  Week,  First  Day :  "The  Glory  of  God" 

And  he  said,  Show  me,  I  pray  thee,  thy  glory.  And 
he  said,  I  will  make  all  my  goodness  pass  before  thee,  and 
will  proclaim  the  name  of  Jehovah  before  thee.  .  .  .  And 
one  cried  unto  another,  and  said.  Holy,  holy,  holy,  is 
Jehovah  of  hosts:  the  whole  earth  is  full  of  his  glory.  .  .  . 
And  I  will  set  a  sign  among  them,  and  I  will  send  such 
as  escape  of  them  unto  the  nations,  to  Tarshish,  Pul,  and 
Lud,  that  draw  the  bow,  to  Tubal  and  Javan,  to  the  isles 
afar  off,  that  have  not  heard  my  fame,  neither  have  seen 

no 


ZEAL  FOR  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD     [VI-2] 

my  glory;  and  they  shall  declare  my  glory  among  the 
nations.  .  .  .  For  the  earth  shall  be  filled  with  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  glory  of  Jehovah,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea. 
.  .  .  And  blessed  be  his  glorious  name  for  ever; 
And  let  the  whole  earth  be  filled  with  his  glory. 
Amen,  and  Amen. — Exodus. 33;  18,  19;  Isa.  6:3;  Isa.  66:  19; 
Hab.  2:14;   Psalm   72:19. 

We  sometimes  think  of  man's  glory  as  residing  in  the  out- 
ward tokens  of  his  prosperity,  such  as  silver  or  gold  or  attire. 
In  ancient  times  a  nation's  glory  consisted  in  its  warriors  as 
indications  of  its  might.  In  what  way  shall  we  think  of  the 
glory  of  God?  Is  it  the  aggrandizement  of  your  communion, 
or  of  any  human  institution?  Is  it  the  majesty,  the  splendor, 
the  magnificence  of  a  king  or  potentate? 

In  the  verses  for  today  Israel's  prophets  conceive  God's 
glory  to  be  the  manifested  perfection  of  his  character.  This 
glory  may  be  exhibited  in  his  "handiwork,"  "his  mighty  acts," 
"his  marvelous  works,"  "his  righteousness,"  and  in  the  natural 
world  itself.  But  the  supreme  manifestation  of  his  excellence 
is  found  in  personality — "in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ"  and  in 
perfected  human  nature  as  found  in  other  individuals  and  in 
nations.  Zeal  for  the  glory  of  God  is,  then,  an  enthusiasm 
for  God's  manifestation  in  human  life.  Down  through  the 
ages  a  holy  ambition  to  forward  this  manifestation  has  stirred 
the  souls  of  men.  Let  the  beauty  and  the  grandeur  of  this 
life  purpose  capture  our  hearts  today. 

Sixth  Week,  Second  Day :  God's  Method  in  a  World 
Task 

He  was  in  the  world,  and  the  world  was  made  through 
him,  and  the  world  knew  him  not.  He  came  unto  his 
own,  and  they  that  were  his  own  received  him  not.  But 
as  many  as  received  him,  to  them  gave  he  the  right  to 
become  children  of  God,  even  to  them  that  believe  on  his 
name:  who  were  born,  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the 
flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God.  And  the  Word 
became  flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us  (and  we  beheld  his 
glory,  glory  as  of  the  only  begotten  from  the  Father), 
full  of  grace  and  truth. — John  i :  10-14. 

God  chose  as  his  method  that  of  the  incarnation.  The  most 
unique  and  perfect  expression  of  this  method  was  in  his  in- 

III 


[VI-3]        MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN  ; 

carnation  in  the  Man  of   Galilee.     But  the  manifestation  of        \ 
the  divine  in  human  life  is  a  method  God  is  always  using.    If         j 
we  would  learn  for  ourselves  what  is  the  supremely  effective 
expression   of   the   Christian  consciousness   we   must   turn   to 
God  himself.    How  did  he  express  himself  most  significantly? 
Through  human  life.     So  must  we.     We  cannot  surpass  the        ! 
wisdom  of  God.     Just  as  God  is  the  ultimate  source  of  the        ] 
Christian    motive,    so    from    God    we    discover    the    ultimate         i 
method  of  its  expression.     In  fact,  Christianity  may  be  said 
to  be  the  perpetual  incarnation  of  God  in  humanity.  , 

God's  greatest  gift  to  us  was  not  something  which  he  did        i 
for  us,  but  a  revealing  of  himself   to  us.     Just  showing  us         i 
what  he  is,  and  making  it  possible  for  us  to  come  into  trans- 
forming  association   with   him,   will    forever   be   his   greatest 
contribution   to   mankind.     Self-revelation,   and   in   particular        \ 
the  Incarnation,  is  God's  great  missionary  method.     And  we 
are  to  be  workers  with  him  in  the  same  method. 

Sixth  Week,  Third  Day:  The  ObUgations  of  vSon-       i 
ship  " 

These   things   spake   Jesus;   and  lifting  up  his   eyes  to 
heaven,  he  said,  Father.  .  .  .  My  Father  and  your  Father. 

.  .  .  For  as  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  these  , 

are   sons  of  God.  .  .  .  But  as  many  as  received  him,   to  i 

them  gave  he  the  right  to  become  children  of  God.  ...  ; 

Behold  what  manner  of  love  the   Father  hath  bestowed  ; 

upon  us,  that  we  should  be  called  children  of  God;  and  \ 
such  we  are.  .  .  .  For  ye  received  not  the  spirit  of  bondage 
again  unto  fear;  but  ye  received  the   spirit  of  adoption, 

whereby  we  cry,  Abba,  Father.    The  Spirit  himself  beareth  \ 

witness  with  our  spirit,  that  we  are  children  of  God.  ....  ; 

And  because  ye  are  sons,  God  sent  forth  the  Spirit  of  his   ^  I 
Son  into  our  hearts,  crying,  Abba,  Father.     So  that  thou 

art  no  longer  a  bondservant,  but  a  son;  and  if  a  son,  then  i 

an  heir  through  God. — John  17:1;  20: 17;  Rom.  8;  14;  John  ■ 

1:12;  I  John  3:1;  Rom.  8:15,  16;  Gal.  4:6,  7.  1 

i 

Jesus  brought  into  the  world  a  wonderful  and  new  con-  ' 

sciousness  of  sonship  to  God.     Behind  this  consciousness  was  \ 
a  profoundly  new  experience  of  God,  and  also  a  revolutionary 

appreciation  of  the  values  in  every  human  Jife.     Jesus  wanted  ' 

to   share  this   experience   with   others — in    fact  he   placed   no  ' 
limit  upon  the  degree  to  which  we  might  share  his  experience. 

112 


ZEAL  FOR  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD     [VI-4] 

And  in  an  extraordinary  way  he  has  been  able  to  develop 
this  same  consciousness  of  sonship  in  his  followers. 

But  sonship  to  Jesus  involved  being  about  his  Father's  busi- 
ness, doing  what  he  saw  the  Father  doing,  and  this  meant 
manifesting  a  character  like  God's.  He  had  to  become  a 
Savior.  Do  we  sufficiently  reflect  that  this  is  what  sonship 
must  involve  for  us,  too?  We  are  genuinely  saved  only  as 
we  enter  into  the  experience  Jesus  had. 

Now  the  manifestation  of  God  in  this  world  of  ours  is 
conditioned  upon  man's  cooperation.  It  is  not  a'  completed 
and  finished  world  into  which  man  has  been  introduced. 
God's  glory  is  only  in  process  of  being  revealed,  and  he  waits 
for  full-grown  sons  to  help  him.  As  we  see  how  nature 
waits  to  be  scientifically  controlled  in  behalf  of  such  things 
as  production,  distribution,  and  good  health ;  as  we  see  how 
forms  of  physical  beauty  await  embodiment  in  useful  things 
and  houses  and  community  life,  one  can  almost  join  in  Paul's 
rhapsody  when  he  says  that  ''the  earnest  expectation  of  the 
creation  waiteth  for  the  revealing  of  the  sons  of  God,"  and 
that  "the  whole  creation  groaneth  and  travaileth  in  pain  to- 
gether until  now"  (Rom.  8:19,  22).  We  are  to  be  joint 
workers  with  God  in  manifesting  the  beauty  of  the  world  and 
of  a  society  of  personalities  like  God.  Life  is  to  be  environed 
by  all  that  God-like,  creative  good  will  in  men  can  do  to  make 
nature  beautiful  and  helpful. 

Sixth  Week,  Fourth  Day:  The  Value  of  the  Ob- 
viously Practical 

And  there  arose  also  a  contention  among  them,  which 
of  them  was  accounted  to  be  greatest.  And  he  said  unto 
them,  The  kings  of  the  Gentiles  have  lordship  over  them; 
and  they  that  have  authority  over  them  are  called  Bene- 
factors. But  ye  shall  not  be  so:  but  he  that  is  the  greater 
among  you,  let  him  become  as  the  younger;  and  he  that 
is  chief,  as  he  that  doth  serve.  For  which  is  greater,  he 
that  sitteth  at  meat,  or  he  that  serveth?  is  not  he  that 
sitteth  at  meat?  but  I  am  in  the  midst  of  you  as  he  that 
serveth. — Luke  22:24-27. 

Jesus,  knowing  that  the  Father  had  given  all  things  into 
his  hands,  and  that  he  came  forth  from  God,  and  goeth 
unto  God,  riseth  from  supper,  and  layeth  aside  his  gar- 
ments; and  he  took  a  towel  and  girded  himself.    Then  he 

113 


[VI-4]        MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

poureth  water  into  the  basin,  and  began  to  wash  the 
disciples'  feet,  and  to  wipe  them  with  the  towel  wherewith 
he  was  girded. — John  13:3-5. 

Christ  also  suffered  for  you,  leaving  you  an  example, 
that  ye  should  follow  his  steps. — I  Pet.  2:21. 

For  I  have  given  you  an  example,  that  ye  also  should 
do  as  I  have  done  to  you. — John  13: 15. 

Another  reason  why  we  in  our  day  must  seek  the  embodi- 
ment of  the  spirit  of  Jesus,  is  because  the  masses  always 
question  the  practicability -of  any  advance  in  moral  standards 
beyond  the  ordinary  level.  The  teaching  of  Jesus  is  wonder- 
fully inspiring,  but  as  never  before  men  are  challenging  the 
possibility  of  its  practical  application  to  industry,  to  commerce, 
and  to  international  affairs.  Is  it  possible,  for  example,  to 
love  your  neighbor  as  yourself?  Would  it  be  advisable  if  one 
could .^     Can  a  nation  maintain  itself  on  that  principle? 

We  find  it  hard  to  believe  unless  we  see.  The  average  man 
needs  the  higher  level  to  be  embodied — incarnated — before 
him.  Understanding  our  need,  God  gave  us  Christ.  And  his 
dynamic  lies  not  simply  in  the  message  he  proclaimed,  but 
in  the  fact  that  he  actually  lived  out  that  highest  ideal  for 
man.  The  glory  of  God  in  our  own  day  will  be  shown  as 
we  live  out  the  spirit  of  Jesus,  which  was  ever  one  of  service, 
sacrifice,  and  love.  And  he  who  strives  to  be  a  world  Chris- 
tian will  endeavor  to  show  by  his  own  life — in  his  college,  his 
church,  his  community,  his  nation — the  practicability  of  the 
new  level  to  which  he  bids  men  come.  A  Christian  must  carry 
his  message  in  his  face,  in  his  acts,  in  his  home,  in  all  his  cor- 
porate life.  A  missionary's  effort  is  largely  in  vain  unless  he 
brings  to  the  new  land  a  fresh  incarnation  of  the  Christ  spirit. 

Have  you  ever  read  how  Peter  Claver  stationed  himself  at 
Cartagena,  where  the  misery-laden  slave  ships  came  in  with 
their  human  freight?  He  met  the  slaves,  followed  them  to 
their  quarters,  and  later  to  their  plantations.  He  comforted, 
fed,  and  loved  them.  He  visited  the  lepers.  He  nursed  those 
stricken  by  smallpox;  he  taught  them  of  God  and  of  love. 
And  they  believed  that  which  they  saw  in  him.  Is  it  any  won- 
der that  before  his  death  a  Christian  church  had  been  estab- 
lished, showing  how  naturally  life  comes  from  life? 

Whether  it  is  the  unchurched  laboring  man  in  America  or 
the  Hindu  in  India,  what  he  demands  is  reality  in  the  one  who 

114 


ZEAL  FOR  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD     [VI-5] 

comes  with  help.  All  could  join  with  Mr.  Kano  of  Japan 
when  he  says :  "We  are  tired  of  preaching.  We  want  mission- 
aries who  can  appeal  to  the  eye  gate  as  well  as  to  the  ear 
gate."  Isabella  Thoburn's  life  was  so  winsome  in  its  embodi- 
ment of  the  Christ  spirit  that  her  distinguished  pupil,  Lilavati 
Singh,  wrote:  "Now  the  cry  of  my  heart  is,  make  me  a  little 
like  ■'her,  that  people  when  they  see  me  may  say,  the  spirit  of 
Miss  Thoburn  doth  rest  upon  her."  Whoever  makes  the 
Christian  life  seem  practicable  is  cooperating  with  God  in  the 
manifestation  of  his  life. 

Sixth  Week,  Fifth  Day:  The  Value  of  a  Call  to 
Fellowship 

And  passing  along  by  the  sea  of  Galilee,  he  saw  Simon 
and  Andrew  the  brother  of  Simon  casting  a  net  in  the 
sea;  for  they  were  fishers.  And  Jesus  said  unto  them. 
Come  ye  after  me,  and  I  will  make  you  to  become  fishers 
of  men.  And  straightway  they  left  the  nets,  and  followed 
him.  And  going  on  a  little  further,  he  saw  James  the 
son  of  Zebedee,  and  John  his  brother,  who  also  were  in 
the  boat  mending  the  nets.  And  straightway  he  called 
them:  and  they  left  their  father  Zebedee  in  the  boat  with 
the  hired  servants,  and  went  after  him. — Mark  i :  16-20. 

Another  great  advantage  of  the  personal  embodiment  of  a 
message  is  that  it  enables  one  to  invite  others  to  a  fellowship, 
rather  than  to  depend  on  exhortation.  We  always  respond 
more  readily  to  a  leader  who  says  "come"  than  to  an  officer 
who  says  "go."  Fellowship  is  one  of  the  deepest  hungers 
of  our  life.  And  especially  as  we  strive  upward  for  a  higher* 
level  of  life,  we  crave  more  than  the  abstract  ideal.  We  cry 
out  for  a  companion  to  take  the  step  with  us.  God,  who  knows 
the  needs  of  the  human  heart,  gave  us  Jesus  to  have  fellow- 
ship with  us  in  all  our  aspirations  for  the  perfect  life.  It 
would  indeed  be  a  lonely  task,  if  we  had  to  struggle  after 
some  ideal,  feeling  that  no  one  had  gone  before.  The  incarna- 
tion enables  us  to  hear  the  word  "come." 

Now  in  our  lesser  way  we  should  embody  our  message,  so 
that  we  can  say  to  others,  "Come."  We  should  be  able  so  to 
live  that  we  can  say  that  "fellowship  with  us  is  fellowship  with 
the  Father  and  with  His  Son  Jesus  Christ"  (I  John  i  :3,  Wey- 
mouth's translation). 

115 


[ VI-6]        MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

Sixth  Week,  Sixth  Day:  Known  and  Read  of  All 
Men 

Even  so  let  your  light  shine  before  men;  that  they  may 
see  your  good  works,  and  glorify  your  Father  who  is  in 
heaven.  .  .  .  Therefore  by  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them. 
.  .  .  Having  your  behavior  seemly  among  the  Gentiles; 
that,  wherein  they  speak  against  you  as  evil-doers,  they 
may  by  your  good  works,  which  they  behold,  glorify  God 
in  the  day  of  visitation.  .  .  .  By  this  shall  all  men  know 
that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another. 
...  Ye  are  our  epistle,  written  in  our  hearts,  known  and 
read  of  all  men. — Matt.  5:16;  7:20;  I  Pet.  2:12;  John 
13:35;  II  Cor.  3:2. 

The  world  reads  the  Bible  very  little  compared  with  the  way 
it  reads  the  lives  of  Christians.  For  most  persons  the  docu- 
ments of  Christianity  are  human  people.  The  open  page  of 
every  Christian  life  is  read  by  all  who  pass.  The  gospels 
are  not  four,  but  "ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand,  and  thou- 
sands of  thousands.'"  In  China  they  say:  "There  goes  the 
Jesus-man !"  George  Grenfell's  boat,  "Peace,"  on  the  Congo, 
became  known  as  "God's  boat"  because  it  offered  violence  to 
none. 

Christ  made  no  provision  for  written  testimony,  but  insisted 
that  the  sure  witness  to  himself  be  through  living  personalities. 
"Let  your  light  so  shine  .  .  .  that  they  may  see  .  .  .  and 
glorify  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven"  (Matt.  5:16).  He 
planned  for  the  embodiment  of  love  to  be  his  great  apologetic. 
Paul,  fully  grasping  this  truth,  warned  and  stimulated  the 
Christians  of  Corinth  by  the  words,  "Ye  are  our  epistle,  writ- 
ten in  our  hearts,  known  and  read  of  all  men"  (II  Cor.  3:2). 

On  that  day  in  China  when  Dr.  Eleanor  Chestnut  stood 
upon  the  temple  steps  awaiting  her  turn  at  death  from  the 
mob  who  had  just  murdered  her  fellow-missionaries,  she 
noticed  a  little  lad  in  the  crowd  with  an  ugly  gash  on  his  head. 
There  was  just  time  for  her  to  call  him  to  her  side,  tear  off 
a  piece  of  her  skirt,  and  making  of  it  a  bandage,  bind  up  his 
wound.  It  was  the  last  touch  of  self-forgetful  love,  before 
they  stabbed  her  and  threw  her  body  into  the  river.  Can  any 
doubt  that  this  v/as  a  page  from  the  real  gospel,  seen  and  read 
by   all   that  neighborhood?     It  was   similar   to   the   Master's, 


See  T.  R.  Glover,  "  The  Conflict  of  Religions  in  the  Roman  Empire, ".p.  140. 
116 


ZEAL  FOR  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD     [VI-7] 

"Suffer  ye  them  thus  far"  (Luke  22:51)  when,  bound  and 
ready  to  be  led  forth  to  death,  he  stretched  out  his  hand  to 
heal  the  wound  which  Peter  had  inflicted  on  his  persecutor. 

Someone  has  said  "Preaching  is  a  breathing."  If  preaching 
could  always  be  a  natural  self-revelation  instead  of  elaborate 
theories  eloquently  worked  out  for  special  occasions,  the  pro- 
fession of  the  pulpit  would  take  on  its  old-time  significance. 
Back  of  the  profession  of  lips  must  be  the  strength  of  a  con- 
sistent life.  One  Christian  worker  made  it  a  habit  of  his  life, 
whenever  he  was  asked  to  deliver  a  convention  address,  to 
prepare  it  three  weeks  ahead  and  to  live  it  out  first.  Thus 
he  was  able  to  see  whether  he  was  honestly  embodying  his 
message. 

How  often  we  would  like  to  put  the  burden  of  the  world's 
recovery  on  a  sacred  book,  or  on  fundamental  proofs,  or  on 
God — on  something  quite  external  to  the  life  we  lead — but 
we  cannot  avoid  the  responsibility  Christ  puts  upon  us.  "Ye 
are  my  witnesses." 

Sixth   Week,    Seventh    Day:   The    Influence   of   a 
Christianized  Community 

We  give  thanks  to  God  always  for  you  all,  making  men- 
tion of  you  in  our  prayers;  remembering  without  ceasing 
your  work  of  faith  and  labor  of  love  and  patience  of  hope 
in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  before  our  God  and  Father.  .  .  . 
And  ye  became  imitators  of  us,  and  of  the  Lord,  having 
received  the  word  in  much  affliction,  with  joy  of  the 
Holy  Spirit;  so  that  ye  became  an  ensample  to  all  that 
believe  in  Macedonia  and  in  Ajchaia.  For  from  you  hath 
sounded  forth  the  word  of  the  Lord,  not  only  in  Macedonia 
and  Achaia,  but  in  every  place  your  faith  to  God-ward  is 
gone  forth;  so  that  we  need  not  to  speak  anything.  For 
they  themselves  report  concerning  us  what  manner  of 
entering  in  we  had  unto  you;  and  how  ye  turned  unto  God 
from  idols,  to  serve  a  living  and  true  God,  and  to  wait 
for  his  Son  from  heaven,  whom  he  raised  from  the  dead, 
even  Jesus,  who  delivereth  us  from  the  wrath  to  come. — 
I  Thess.  1:2,  3,  6-10. 

The  way  in  which  a  despised  and  neglected  little  group — 
called  in  derision  "Christians" — could  in  three  centuries  win 
to  their  standard  the  Roman  Empire  has  always  stirred  us. 
Historians  agree  that  one  of   the   strongest   factors   in   this 

117 


[VI-c]        MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

process  was  the  love,  actually  embodied  in  the  little  Christian 
communities,  and  not  merely  talked  about.  Lucian  said :  "They 
become  incredibly  alert  when  anything  occurs  that  affects  their 
common  interests.  On  such  occasions  no  expense  is  grudged." 
Tertullian  quotes  from  hostile  testimony  the  remarks,  "See 
how  they  love  one  another,"  and  "See  how  they  are  prepared 
to  die  for  one  another."  When. plague  raged,  Cyprian  ex- 
horted his  flock  to  assist  the  heathen  as  well  as  the  household 
of  faith.  And  Eusebius,  writing  of  a  similar  epidemic,  said, 
"Then  did  they  show  themselves  to  the  heathen  in  the  clearest 
light."  Besides  attending  to  the  dead,  the  Christians  "gath- 
ered in  one  spot  all  who  were  afflicted  by  hunger  throughout 
the  whole  city,  and  gave  bread  to  them  all.  When  this  became 
known,  people  glorified  the  Christian  God." 

Christianity  overcame  because  the  Christian  beat  the  pagan 
in  living,  in  dying,  and  in  thinking — he  out-lived  him,  out-died 
him,  and  out-thought  him.  It  is  just  as  true  today  that  wher- 
ever Christians  incarnate  the  power  and  love  of  God  in  their 
own  lives,  Christ's  Kingdom  makes  sure  advance. 

COMMENT  FOR  THE  WEEK 
I 

It  is  not  enough  that  we  should  examine  into  the  character 
of  God,  and  admire  and  appreciate  and  talk  of  the  wonder  of 
his  nature  revealed  most  fully  in  Jesus  Christ.  Nor  is  it 
enough  that  we  gather  from  him  new  courage  and  hope  for 
ourselves.  //  God  in  his  essential  being  is  characterized  by 
forth-going,  serving  love,  thi^  necessarily  determines  the  char- 
acter ivhich  must  progressively  be  incarnated  in  us.  Salva- 
tion means  becoming  like  God ;  means  making  God's  cause 
our  own.  The  future  of  our  religion  depends  upon  the  extent 
to  which  those  who  call  themselves  Christians  recognize  the 
obligations  in  this  fact.  Not  the  mere  recital  of  "Lord,  Lord," 
but  the  actual  doing  of  the  Father's  will  is  what  Christ  taught. 
He  never  regarded  life  as  a  vessel  merely  to  be  selfishly  filled, 
but  as  a  power  to  be  used.  It  is  not,  therefore,  a  matter  of 
indifferent  choice  whether  we  enter  into  a  life  of  self-sacrific- 
ing service.  It  is  a  part  of  salvation  itself.  For  it  is  only 
by  becoming  like  God  in  character  that  there  is  any  blessed- 
ness in  store  for  us.  We  may  as  well  face  the  fact  that  we 
shall  never  become  completely  saved  men  and  women  until  we, 

ii8 


ZEAL  FOR  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD     [VI-c] 

too,  have  learned  to  love  in  a  self-giving,  unrequited  way. 
This  involves  the  development  of  an  attitude  and  disposition 
toward  our  fellows  of  God-like,  active  love.  "To  be  saved  is 
to  become  a  savior." 

This  truth  was  touchingly  grasped  by  that  old  woman,  men- 
tioned by  Pastor  Hsi,  who  shrank  from  baptism  although  she 
clearly  was  a  believer.  Her  reason  for  not  being  baptized 
was  that  being  a  Christian  meant  to  go  into  all  the  world  and 
preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature.  She  was,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  doing  all  she  could  to  tell  others  of  Christ,  but  she 
felt  too  old  "to  go  into  all  the  world."  This  simple  Chinese 
woman,  however,  saw  that  enthusiasm  for  an  outgoing  life 
is  no  elective  that  can  be  chosen  or  rejected  by  the  Christian 
It  is  the  concern  of  every  man.  For  us,  as  for  that  old 
woman,  to  be  a  Christian  and  not  to  be  interested  in  love  that 
goes  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  should  be  a  contradiction  in 
terms. 

In  almost  every  mission  field,  with  notable  exceptions  such 
as  Korea,  there  has  been  difficulty  in  stimulating  the  propaga- 
tion of  Christianit}'  apart  from  foreign  initiative — in  getting 
the  new  Christian  communities  to  see  that  the  Gospel  is  theirs 
to  pass  on.  May  this  not,  in  part  at  least,  be  due  to  a  pre- 
sentation of  salvation  as  resulting  from  correct  belief?  The 
emphasis  in  some  places  has  been  placed  so  heavily  on 
ecclesiastical  affairs  and  on  the  acceptance  of  theological 
orthodoxy,  that  all  too  many  converts  have  been  introduced 
into  a  Christianity  of  mere  machinery  and  creeds  and  dogmas. 
God's  great  work  for  man,  for  example,  is  thought  of  as  a 
juridical  procedure  transacted  entirely  apart  from  the  indi- 
vidual, the  benefits  of  which  are  secured  merely  by  the  con- 
fession of  faith  in  Jesus  Christ.  Men  have  failed  to  emphasize 
sufficiently  that  Jesus  is  the  zvay — the  way  to  man's  becoming 
perfect  as  God  is  perfect.  Three  centuries  of  emphasis  on 
salvation  as  correct  belief,  with  reference  to  an  operation  by 
God  from  outside  upon  a  world  dwelling  apart  from  him, 
have  failed  to  make  our  country  what  a  Christian  land  should 
be.  Can  one  expect  any  better  results  from  the  same  mis- 
taken emphasis,  when  taken  to  a  non-Christian  land?  What 
the  people  of  those  lands  need,  and  what  we  need,  is  a  more 
vivid  realization  of  the  character  of  God,  of  salvation  as  be- 
coming like  him,  and  of  Jesus  as  the  Savior  in  that  he  makes 
that  kind  of  life  possible. 

119 


IVI-c]        MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

We  like  to  say  that  man  was  made  in  God's  image.  As 
an  account  of  our  origin  this  statement  is  meager  and  barren. 
It  is  not  so  much  a  theological  proposition  to  be  accepted,  as 
a  practical  program  to  be  realized.  Mankind  needs  a  pro- 
found faith  that  human  life  can  exhibit  God's  image  here 
and  now.  We  must  respond  to  the  great  fact  of  God's  indwell- 
ing in  human  life — of  which  fact  the  incarnation  in  Jesus 
was  the  supreme  example. 

II 

The  embodiment  of  the  character  of  God  in  the  common  life 
of  man  has  always  had  immense  transforming  power.  It  is 
when  the  mind  of  Christ  is  actually  expressed  in  action  that 
power  is  manifested.    All  over  the  world  this  truth  is  working. 

One  day  a  missionary  was  making  his  way  up  from  the  hot 
plains  of  India  to  a  hill  station.  He  had  not  gone  far  when 
he  heard  the  old  coolie  behind  him  complain  in  panting  voice, 
•'Sahib,  I  am  about  to  die.  The  load  is  so  heavy."  "All  right," 
said  the  missionary,  "I'll  take  your  load,  and  you  take  mine." 
They  had  not  gone  far  this  way  until  a  sniffling  was  heard 
from  behind.  "What's  wrong,  bhai?"  "Why,  Sahib,  have 
you  done  this?  No  one  ever  took  the  heavy  load  for  me  be- 
fore." It  was  not  hard,  as  they  sat  down  by  the  roadside,  to 
touch  the  old  coolie's  heart  by  the  story  of  the  One  who 
for  love's  sake  always  takes  the  heavy  end. 

A  young  man  from  Afghanistan  had  for  years  scorned  all 
Christian  preaching,  and  had  argued  bitterly  against  Chris- 
tianity. Finally  a  woman  doctor  visited  Peshawar,  met  the 
youth,  and  immediately  felt  led  to  work  and  pray  for  his  con- 
version. She  made  no  attempt  to  argue  with  him,  but  through 
acts  of  kindness  at  last  melted  his  heart.  As  a  Christian 
worker  at  the  present  time  he  says,  "My  people  are  hungry 
for  such  love — everything  is  gained  by  love." 

In  another  part  of  India  a  missionary  was  making  a  night 
journey  through  the  jungle.  His  only  companions  were  some 
Hindus  and  Muhammadans  who  were  in  carts  ahead.  All  at 
once  a  piercing  cry  rent  the  air.  Their  low-caste  torch  bearer 
had  been  bitten  by  a  cobra.  Not  a  hand  was  raised  to  help 
the  outcaste  by  those  nearest  to  him,  as  he  lay  writhing  in 
pain,  and  expecting  to  die.  There  was  no  time  to  lose — the 
missionary  washed  the  foot,  and  himself  sucked  the  poison 
from  the  wound.     Is  it  any  wonder  that  after  this,  against 

120 


ZEAL  FOR  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD     [VT-c] 

a  fresh  and  compelling  background,  every  audience  in  that 
district  listened  to  the  story  of  the  love  of  God? 

Worth  a  dozen  sermons  was  the  simple  act  of  a  missionary 
in  Japan.  While  he  was  riding  in  his  jinriksha  one  day,  his 
coolie  stumbled,  fell,  and  broke  his  leg.  Without  hesitation 
the  missionary  put  the  coolie  in  the  carriage  and,  taking  his 
place  between  the  shafts,  bore  him  back  eleven  miles  to  their 
starting-point. 

A  Japanese  student  after  four  years  in  America  was  writ- 
ing of  what  he  wanted  to  take  back  to  Japan:  "I  feel  we 
must  still  look  to  the  West  for  personality  in  its  beauty  and 
magnitude.  I  have  seen  some  examples  of  lofty  personality 
and  through  them  have  caught  a  vision  of  the  high  ideal  to 
which  we  may  attain  in  our  character-building.  This  demon- 
stration and  this  vision  of  personality,  which  I  have  seen  in 
America,  is  the  first  thing  I  would  bring  back  to  Japan." 
Similarly  a  Chinese  student,  speaking  of  the  kind  of  worker 
needed  for  China,  said :  "You  see  we  Chinese  are  not  v/on  to 
Christianity  by  the  philosophy  of  religion,  but  by  the  evidence 
of  religion."  It  was  this  same  truth,  only  put  more  explicitly, 
that  another  Chinese  addressed  to  a  missionary  physician : 
"You  come  out  here  and  preach  Christianity  and  hold  up 
your  motto,  'Salvation  for  all  men.'  You  run  up  your  Red 
Cross  flag  over  your  hospital,  and  forget  all  personal  danger 
or  fatigue  as  you  vitalize  this  motto,  and  actually  before  our 
eyes  save  men.  It  grips  our  hearts,  especially  when  we  are 
the  ones  saved.  And  I  tell  you,"  he  went  on,  "you  are  going 
to  win  this  city.    You  are  going  to  win  China." 

This  practical  incarnation  of  Christ's  spirit  is  appreciated 
not  only  in  Japan  and  China.  A  soldier  said  to  a  manifestly 
professional  "religious  worker,"  "We- don't  need  you  now. 
That  woman  is  putting  Jesus  into  our  coffee."  And  a  Muham- 
madan  soldier  in  France,  after  having  thoughtfully  noticed  the 
way  the  Christian  forces  were  following  the  armies,  finally 
exclaimed :  "Where  has  Buddha  been  ?  Where  is  Muham- 
mad?    We  know  where  Jesus  is;  he  is  by  our  side." 

All  this  means  one  thing.  The  world  Christian  must  stand 
for  a  man  who  not  only  knows  his  message  about  a  Life,  but 
is  himself  embodying  that  Life.  He  will  seize  hold  on  love 
until  it  lives  in  him  and  can,  therefore,  he  caught  by  others. 
There  is  no  mightier,  more  significant  force  for  character 
transformation  than  Christ-like  personality.    The  impress  and 

121 


[VI-c]        MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

reflection  of  the  love  of  God  on  human  character  is  the  best 
apologetic.  The  most  fundamental  missionary  method,  there- 
fore, is  the  introduction  of  the  kind  of  life  that  is  desired. 
"Your  talk  is  fair  and  good,"  said  old  Red  Jacket,  the  Indian 
Chief,  to  those  who  wanted  to  preach  to  his  tribe.  "But  T 
propose  this.  Go  try  your  hand  in  the  town  of  Buffalo  for 
one  year.  They  need  missionaries,  if  you  can  do  what  you 
say.  If  in  that  time  you  have  done  them  any  good  and  made 
them  any  better,  then  we  will  let  you  com.e  among  our  people." 
We  may  well  shrink  before  the  obligation  and  pause  before 
the  high  responsibility  that  is  placed  upon  us.  But  we  are 
driven,  through  failure  in  other  ways,  to  see  that  there  is  no 
shorter  cut  than  actual  embodiment  to  the  effective  stimulation 
of  the  God-life  in  another.  Response  comes  most  readily  to 
the  manifested  ideal. 

Ill 

Of  all  the  activities  of  the  Church,  foreign  missions  exhibits 
this  aspect  of  the  world  Christian  in  its  purest  form.  The 
principle  of  forth-going  love  has  nowhere  found  more  charac- 
teristic embodiment  than  in  this  outreaching  service  of  the 
Church.  Her  ambassadors  are  paid  not  on  the  basis  of  their 
market  value,  nor  even  of  salary,  but  on  the  basis  of  a  living 
wage,  so  much  so  that  in  most  missions  the  living  allowance 
is  of  necessity  adjusted  to  increase  or  decrease  of  family,  to 
sickness,  or  even  to  study  on  furlough.  Unquestioned  com- 
pensations come  to  the  missionary  in  his  life  and  work,  but 
these  are  not  what  draw  him  on,  and  he  goes  forth  ready 
for  far  greater  sacrifices  than  usually  come  to  him.  There  is 
no  unwholesome  courting  of  self-abnegation,  but  if  the  spirit 
of  forth-going  service  must  be  at  the  cost  of  self,  that  price 
is  unquestioningly  paid.  Family,  country,  friends,  are  left 
behind ;  later,  and  hardest  of  all,  parent  and  child  or  husband 
and  wife  live  for  years  with  a  world  between  them,  that  love's 
expression  to  men  and  women  of  other  races  and  other  faiths 
may  be  perfected. 

In  still  other  ways  this  enterprise,  more  "than  ever  before, 
is  requiring  for  its  best  success  a  real  kenosis — a  real  emptying 
of  one's  self),  the  becoming  a  servant  in  very  fact  as  did  Christ 
himself.  For  many,  it  was  easier  to  love  in  those  old  days 
when  assumptions  of  racial  and  intellectual  superiority  enabled 
them  to  think  of  the  peoples  of  mission  lands  as  inferior  be- 

122 


ZEAL  FOR  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD     [VI-c] 

ings.  They  find  that  love  is  not  so  easy  when  the  unruly 
phenomena  of  adolescence  appear — and  in  many  a  mission 
station  growing  self-assertion,  initiative,  and  resentment  of 
patronage  on  the  part  of  the  people  make  large  demands  on 
patience.  Greater  still  is  the  demand  on  love  when  daughter 
churches  seek  their  independence,  and  when  foreign  leadership 
is  no  longer  taken  for  granted  as  the  natural  and  obvious 
thing.  Harder  for  many  a  man  of  conscious  resource  and 
power  than  leaving  native  country,  is  the  willingness  to  de- 
crease that  those  to  whom  he  ministers  may  increase.  And 
yet  even  at  this  most  difficult  point  of  love,  modern  missions 
are  embodying  the  mind  of  Christ. 

But  the  missionary  is  most  God-like  when,  conscious  of  the 
pricelessness  of  life  about  him,  he  cries  out: 

"Only  like  souls  I  see  the  folk  thereunder 
Bound  who  should  conquer,  slaves  who  should  be  kings," 

and  follows  this  vision  of  man's  supreme  need  with  the  long- 
ing which  a  poet  has  put  into  the  mouth  of  Paul : 

"Then  with  a  rush  the  intoleiable  craving 

Shivers  throughout  me  like  a  trumpet-call, — 
Oh  to  save  these !  to  perish  for  their  saving, 
Die  for  their  life,  be  offered  for  them  all !" 

—Frederick  W.  H.  Myers,  "St.  Paul." 

The  present-day  manifestation  of  the  God-life  in  non-Chris- 
tian lands  does  not,  however,  stop  with  the  missionaries  them- 
selves. For,  indeed,  their  very  purpose  in  going  is  that  this 
kind  of  life  may  find  rootage  where  they  go.  One  of  the  most 
inspiring  impressions  of  a  world  trip  is  to  find  place  after 
place  where  the  Christian  God  is  getting  a  foothold  in  the 
lives  of  the  people.  From  such  people  a  church  is  being  raised 
up  that  will  know  that  it  is  better  to  give  than  to  receive, 
and  that  the  very  meaning  of  the  Christian  life  involves  serv- 
ice. In  just  so  far  as  the  spirit  of  helpfulness  is  found  in 
the  rising  churches  abroad  will  our  work  there  be  adjudged 
successful.  For  the  church  that  we  are  trying  to  establish 
abroad  is  the  kind  of  a  church  we  ought  to  have  here — a 
church  which,  itself  being  a  servant  of  the  people,  is  there- 
fore fitted  to  train  up  leaders  in  personal  and  community  and 
national  helpfulness.     Some  day  when  we  better  understand 

123 


[VI-c]        MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

the  mind  and  character  of  God  as  revealed  in  Christ,  we  shall 
have  a  church  that  reveals  in  the  whole  life  of  its  members 
the  spirit  of  him  who  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto  but  to 
minister.  When  the  Church  around  the  world  in  openminded 
sincerity  seeks  to  be  the  servant  of  life,  men  will  demand  from 
her  no  other  token  of  authority. 

IV 

That  we  should  cooperate  in  manifesting  the  God-life  has 
been  seen  clearly,  but  narrowly,  in  connection  with  giving 
the  Gospel  to  other  lands.  As  a  result  the  very  word  "mis- 
sionary" usually  suggests  China  or  India  or  Africa — some- 
thing far  away.  But  that  business  man  was  not  missionary- 
minded  who  overlooked  his  Christian  duty  to  his  own  em- 
ployees even  though  he  inserted  a  leaflet  on  foreign  missions 
in  every  business  letter  he  sent  forth.  To  be  interested  pri- 
marily in  what  is  far  away  may  be  easier  and  more  romantic 
than  to  grapple  with  facts  at  one's  doors. 

Foreign  missions,  however,  are  simply  the  expression  toward 
certain  distant  people  of  the  distinctively  Christian  attitude 
toward  all  need.  The  missionary  attitude  toward  the  Chinese 
is  simply  the  Christian  attitude  toward  life  expressed  in  the 
locality  of  China.  The  missionary  consciousness  is  not  a 
matter  of  geography.  Whether  it  is  a  row  of  lepers  beside 
the  Ganges  or  an  Italian  community  across  our  railway 
tracks ;  whether  it  is  the  famine  orphans  of  India  or  the 
undernourished  children  of  our  crowded  city  blocks ;  whether 
it  is  factory  conditions  in  Japan  or  munition  workers  in  our 
neighboring  home  town,  the  disposition  to  go  out  in  loving 
service  is  a  manifestation  of  the  same  spirit. 

What  we  need  to  do  is  to  universaUzc  this  attitude  of  help- 
ful and  brotherly  living.  It  must  be  brought  into  the  family, 
the  community,  the  nation.  Where  organization  is  necessary, 
we  must  effect  it  so  that  every  needed  means  may  be  provided 
for  practicing  the  social  faith  we  have.  There  must  not  be 
merely  a  group  within  the  Church  with  the  missionary  con- 
sciousness ;  the  Church  itself  must  be  pervaded  with  the 
character  of  God,  expressing  itself  in  a  thousand  little,  as  well 
as  larger,  ways.  The  Church  must  be  thought  of  not  so  much 
as  a  place  where  men  gather  together  to  become  saved  as 
where  they  go  to  get  dynamic  to  save  others,  where  rest  is 
obtained  that  work  may  follow. 

124 


ZEAL  FOR  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD     [VI-c] 

The  conviction  of  the  innermost  nature  of  God  as  pursuant 
love  and  of  the  inevitable  consequence  that  if  we  are  ever  to 
be  fully  saved  we  must  in  this  respect  be  like  him,  should 
color  all  the  acts  and  personal  relations  of  daily  life.  Through 
habit,  through  prayer,  through  ever-renewed  fellowship  with 
him,  it  should  become  the  natural  expression  of  a  transformed 
life. 

Have  you  not  seen  the  people  at  the  end  of  a  railway 
carriage  touched  and  inwardly  cleansed  by  some  little  act  or 
look  of  simple  kindness  that  had  this  God-mark  on  it?  Have 
you  not  gone  away  from  some  crowded  bargain  counter  feel- 
ing that  it  was  easier  to  believe  in  God  because  someone  did 
just  the  right  thing  for  the  tired  mother  with  a  baby  in  her 
arms,  or  spoke  with  sympathetic  insight  to  the  overworked 
saleswoman?  Insignificant  things?  Never!  It  is  in  the  petty 
round  of  daily  tasks  that  we  may  most  surely  gain  that 
mastery  of  the  God-like  that  will  enable  us  to  apply  this  dis- 
position with  insight  to  larger  things. 

It  immensely  diminishes  the  effectiveness  of  any  witness  to 
love  and  power  in  non-Christian  lands  when  the  countries 
which  send  forth  their  Christian  witness  are  filled  with  social, 
industrial,  and  racial  conditions  which  belie  the  Gospel's 
power.  Non-Christian  nations  often  see  more  plainly  than  we 
do  the  glass  houses  in  which  we  live.  To  their  capitals  the 
world  news  is  wired  each  day  and  circulated  in  a  hundred 
papers,  revealing  to  them  that  the  dynamic  and  spirit  which 
has  been  manifested  in  foreign  missions  has  not  grappled 
with  lynchings,  industrial  relations,  and  immigration  diffi- 
culties in  our  own  land.  In  the  case  of  government  students 
who  have  come  from  China  to  America,  and  who  had  been 
but  little  under  the  influence  of  Christianity  in  China,  the 
transition  to  this  land  creates  a  good  effect.  But  in  a  group 
of  eight  students  who  had  been  brought  up  in  mission  schools 
in  China  and  had  later  studied  in  the  United  States,  not  one 
was  willing  to  say  that  his  estimate  of  Christianity  had  been 
improved  by  his  stay  in  America.  It  is  startling  to  have  a 
leader  among  foreign  students  say  that  he  could  name  forty 
Chinese  Christians  who  had  renounced  Christianity  while  in 
America.  It  is  still  more  humiliating  to  have  it  authorita- 
tively stated  that  among  the  many  Oriental  students  in 
America  more  renounce  Christianity  on  seeing  conditions  here 
than  are  led  through  residence  here  to  accept  Christianity. 

125 


[VI-c]        MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

The  Church  today  must  make  earnest  with  many  duties, 
but  certainly  none  more  vital  than  to  arouse  its  constituency 
to  the  obligation  to  embody  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit.  For  the 
Church  is  not  meeting  its  obligations  by  placing  a  halo  about 
certain  men  and  women  called  missionaries  and  sending  them 
out  into  the  world.  Not  until  everybody,  individually  as  well 
as  corporately,  is  reaching .  forth  in  redemptive,  constructive 
service  in  cooperation  with  the  pursuant  love  of  God  will  the 
Church  have  attained  this  aspect  of  its  goal.  And  it  is  only 
out  from  a  church  that  is  embodying  this  attitude  in  all  its 
human  relationships  that  the  passion  and  conviction  will 
come  that  can  evangelize  a  world. 

V 

Nations  also  must  cooperate  in  manifesting  the  God-life. 
The  larger  social  order  will  not  be  Christianized  until  each 
member  of  the  family  of  nations,  like  their  common  Father, 
finds  its  essential  reality  in  purpose — purpose  that  is  God-like 
in  its  will  to  serve,  asking  nothing  in  return.  The  world  is 
hungry  for  the  avowal  by  the  stronger  nations  that  they 
have  disinterested  obligations  toward  their  weaker  sisters. 
The  removal  of  barriers  between  nations  must  be  accompanied 
by  the  creation  of  positive  conditions  of  friendship.  The 
more  backward  races  are  waiting  for  the  distinctive  charac- 
teristic of  the  Christian  God  to  be  manifested  in  the  races 
more  advanced.  And  signs  are  not  wanting  that  this  aspect 
of  the  missionary  consciousness  is  making  progress  amongst 
the  nations. 

One  of  the  finest  examples  on  a  national  scale  of  the  em- 
bodiment of  the  Christian  motive  was  America's  unselfish 
entrance  into  the  World  War  with  the  purpose,  at  whatever 
necessary  cost  of  blood  or  treasure,  to  make  democracy  avail- 
able to  every  people  who  desire  it,  and  to  ensure  to  the 
smallest  nation  the  opportunity  for  self-realization  and  free 
development.  "We  have  no  selfish  ends  to  serve,"  wrote 
President  Wilson,  "We  desire  no  conquest,  no  dominion. 
We  seek  no  indemnities  for  ourselves,  no  material  compensa- 
tion for  the  sacrifices  we  shall  freely  make.  We  are  but  one 
of  the  champions  of  the  rights  of  mankind." 

This  action  of  America  was  in  reality  a  magnificent  expres- 
sion of  the  missionary  spirit,  and  yet  so  conventional  has  our 
religious    thinking    become    that    many    never    thought    of 

126 


ZEAL  FOR  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD     [VI-c] 

America's  action  as  having  religious  quality  or  as  involving 
religious  values.  When  we  begin  more  thoroughly  to  incar- 
nate our  Gospel,  and  to  relate  it  to  the  actual  problems  that 
press  for  'solution  in  every  realm  of  life,  such  a  national 
commitment  will  be  seen  to  have  been  a  religious  act. 

America's  relation  to  the  Philippjnes  has  embodied  Chris- 
tian principles.  Ex-President  Roosevelt  could  say :  "I  believe 
that  I  am  speaking  with  historic  accuracy  and  impartiality 
when  I  say  that  the  American  treatment  of  and  attitude 
toward  the  Philippine  people,  in  its  combination  of  disinter- 
ested ethical  purpose  and  sound  common  sense,  marks  a  new 
and  long  stride  forward  in  advance  of  all  steps  that  have 
hitherto  been  taken  along  the  path  of  wise  and  proper  treat- 
ment of  weaker  by  stronger  races."  It  was  this  spirit  that 
sent  over  to  those  long-suffering  islanders  five  hundred  teach- 
ers to  begin  the  establishment  of  an  agency  which,  next  to 
religion,  has  proved  to  be  the  choicest  gift  we  had  for  them. 
Individuals  and  groups  and  private  corporations  may  have 
fallen  short  of  the  nation's  high  ideal,  and  through  their 
selfish  exploitation  marred  the  clearness  of  the  national  mis- 
sionary spirit,  but  the  American  people  as  a  whole  have  never 
wished  the  unexpected  relationship  with  these  islands  to  be 
other  than  an  unselfish  service  for  humanity. 

It  is  because  the  Christian  spirit  is  so  seldom  embodied 
nationally  that  the  chancelleries  of  Europe  scoffed  at  the 
very  thought  of  Cuba's  ever  becoming  independent  after  the 
United  States  had  once  laid  her  hands  upon  it.  They  thought 
the  insincerity  of  America's  pretence  at  giving  independence 
was  being  brought  to  light  each  time  she  interfered  with 
turbulent  factions  in  the  population,  even  though  at  con- 
siderable cost  to  herself.  And  yet  today  Cuba  is  politically 
free. 

It  was  this  spirit  that  led  the  United  States  to  give  back  to 
China  the  Boxer  indemnity,  part  of  which  the  Chinese  happily 
invested  in  endowments  for  an  annual  stream  of  Chinese 
students  to  America.  The  same  spirit  breathes  in  modern 
Britain  as  it  thinks  out  toward  China  and  toward  India.  Dur- 
ing the  recent  fateful  years  we  have  been  seeing  the  birth- 
pangs  of  a  still  more  universal  and  conscious  recognition  of 
the  will  to  serve  in  international  policy. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  not  this  spirit  that  is  placarding 
China    with    cigarette    advertisements,    and    giving    out    free 

127 


[VI-c]        MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

samples  by  the  thousand  to  child  and  man  alike  in  an  effort 
to  cause  China  to  substitute  the  cigarette  habit  for  opium.  It 
is  not  this  spirit  that  encourages  the  morphine  trade  with 
China,  or  allows  increased  prohibition  at  home  to  be  balanced 
by  increased  exportation  of  liquor  to  backward  peoples.  It 
is  not  this  spirit  that  inspires  the  merciless  exploitation  of 
the  weaker  amongst  earth's  peoples.  National  God-likeness 
would  involve  sharing  the  best,  and  acting  the  brother,  and 
winning  loving  friendship  through  constructive  good  will.  Is 
it  not  strange  that  war  is  practically  the  only  way,  at  present, 
by  which  one  nation  can  spend  money  to  help  another?  Na- 
tional cooperation  in  the  manifestation  of  the  God-life  will 
make  it  not  only  legally  possible,  but  natural,  for  a  nation  to 
use  money  in  befriending  another  nation.  It  would  involve 
enacting  legislation  that  would  enable  us  to  keep  our  promises 
to  protect  aliens ;  it  would  seek,  even  at  heavy  cost,  to  dispel 
Mexican  suspicion,  and  to  win  a  larger  measure  of  confidence 
from  the  twent}^  sister-republics  to  the  south  of  us.  It  would 
inspire  all  colony-holding  powers  to  secure  the  development 
in  human  well-being  of  their  subjects  and  the  availability  for 
the  service  of  mankind  of  the  potentialities  of  an  undeveloped 
region. 

We  note,  however,  that  Christ's  dictum,  if  any  man  would 
be  first  let  him  be  the  servant  of  all,  is  increasingly  being  used 
to  test  a  nation's  greatness.  Men  are  asking,  with  Frederick 
Lynch,  whether  that  nation  is  not  greatest  "which  can  forget 
its  self-interest  occasionally  and  go  out ;  which  can  be  the 
friend  and  helper  of  weaker  nations ;  which  can  demand  that 
justice  be  done  in  the  world;  which  can  have  the  sense  of 
mission,  of  being  sent  to  seek,  not  its  own  only,  but  to  bless 
others ;  which  can  learn  that  it  is  giving  which  makes  a  nation 
great,  as  it  is  giving  and  serving  which  makes  men  noble."" 

As  we  take  a  long  look  over  the  past  we  can  see  spiritual 
advance  in  international  practice  and  ideals.  At  one  time  the 
fate  of  the  weaker  races  was  extermination  or  slavery.  Later 
their  fate  was  alleviated  to  that  of  becoming  a  tributary 
people.  Still  later  the  conquering  people  merely  subjected 
them  to  industrial  and  commercial  exploitation.  Butwe  are 
catching  glimpses  of  a  more  Christian  stage,  where  the 
weaker  people  is  the  object  of  self-sacrificing  service  given 


2  "  What  Makes  a  Nation  Great,"  p.  8i. 
128 


ZEAL  FOR  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD     [VI-c] 

in  the  spirit  of  friendship.  Into  the  development  of  this  new 
spirit  of  internationaHsm  all  the  driving  power  of  Christianity 
should  be  put.  What  is  most  characteristic  of  God  must  be 
made  characteristic  of  the  nations.  If  individual  salvation 
means  nothing  unless  it  issues  in  service  and  sacrifice,  this 
same  principle  must  hold  for  nations  also.  National  salvation 
involves  of  necessity  international  service  and  sacrifice  for 
the  world.  Nations  no  less  than  individuals  are  saved  to 
serve.  Mutuality  of  service  will  be  the  evidence  that  Christ 
has  come  to  the  larger  group. 

Those  who  are  working  for  a  super-national  organization 
realize  that  some  kind  of  an  embodiment  of  the  God-relation 
is  needed  in  the  realm  of  peoples.  The  establishment  of  a 
league  of  nations  that  will  have  as  its  object  not  simply  the 
negative  one  of  preventing  war,  but  the  positive  one  of  over- 
seeing, obviating,  or  adjusting  clashes  of  interest  through 
organization,  will  be  one  of  the  conditions  which  will  make 
Christian  international  morality  possible.  We  feel  we  have 
a  right  to  expect  individuals  to  be  moral  because  the  social 
organization  in  which  the  individual  is  placed  makes  moral 
expression  possible.  The  modes  of  associated  life  in  which 
the  individual  finds  himself  confer  powers  and  impose  re- 
sponsibilities upon  him. 

Now  if  there  were  a  social  organization  for  nations,  that 
defined  and  established  their  rights  and  duties,  they  would 
the  more  easily  develop  a  consciousness  of  the  moral  standard 
for  nations.  We  need  God  to  become  flesh  and  dwell  among 
us  in  the  form  of  an  international  organization,  not  simply 
that  certain  known  moral  obligations  may  be  effectively  en- 
forced, but  that  new  moral  obligations  and  regulations  may 
come  into  existence.  The  world  Christian  will  not  simply 
ask  that  the  highest  individual  morality  should  be  adopted  by 
nations  but  will  work  to  establish  that  form  of  organization 
which  will  be  the  first  big  step  toward  making  the  ideal 
possible. 

We  do  not  mean  by  this  to  glorify  mere  organization.  For 
diplomacy  and  balance  of  power,  treaties  and  alliances,  arma- 
ments and  preparation,  financial  solidarity  and  the  community 
of  labor — all  these  devices  have  failed.  Count  Okuma  knew 
that  these,  alone,  were  not  the  solution  when,  in  substance, 
he  said  to  his  countrymen  incensed  over  California's  anti- 
Japanese  legislation :  "This  problem  can't  be  settled  by  diplo- 

129 


[VI-c]        MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

macy,  by  anti-American  legislation,  by  war,  or  even  by  threats 
of  war.  The  only  possible  solution  is  by  an  appeal  to  Ameri- 
can Christians  to  apply  to  these  problems  the  principles  of 
their  Christian  faith — the  brotherhood  of  man."  It  is  not 
organization  as  such,  but  organization  that  is  breathed  through 
with  Christian  principle  and  Christian  spirit  that  is  needed. 

This  embodiment  of  Christian  attitude  in  international  rela- 
tionships is  increasingly  necessary  if  non-Christian  peoples 
are  to  be  drawn  to  the  way  of  Christ.  They  are  no  longer 
dependent  on  the  mere  testimony  of  missionaries  as  to  what 
Christianity  is ;  the  practice  of  the  West  is  now  an  open  book 
that  all  may  read.  In  so  far  as  we  shape  our  national  policies 
so  as  to  embody  the  spirit  of  Christ  in  our  relations  with  the 
non-Christian  peoples  shall  we  make  effective  the  faithful 
preaching  of  the  Word.  The  spirit  of  Christ  has  been  glar- 
ingly flouted  at  times  by  the  nations ;  let  the  Church  not 
rest  until  his  spirit  is  so  markedly  embodied  in  national  ex- 
pression that  the  remotest  parts  of  Asia  and  of  Africa  shall 
hear  a  great  "good  news."  The  honor  of  Christ  in  many 
lands  is  depending  on  the  sincerity  and  the  vigor  of  the  protest 
which  forces  called  by  his  name  shall  make  to  unchristian 
factors  in  social  and  national  life.  The  greatest  opportunity 
thus  far  in  all  history  for  the  incarnation  of  the  Christ  came 
at  the  close  of  the  Great  War.  Are  Christian  forces  travailing 
with  yearning  love  for  the  continuous  increase  of  this  new 
revelation  of  God? 


TOPICS  FOR  DISCUSSION 

1.  Discuss  the  truth  of  such  statements  as  the  following: 
"It  is  because  you  Christians  are  not  like  your  Christ  that 
your  religion  does  not  advance  more";  "the  Muhammadans 
are  not  converted  because  we  are  not  converted."  What 
analogies  to  these  statements  may  be  found  in  the  Scriptures? 

2.  Is  Christianity  a  theory  or  a  practice?  Or  is  it  both? 
If  so,  which  is  more  needed  today,  better  preaching,  or  better 
practice?     For  what  reason? 

3.  What  would  you  say  it  means  to  be  a  Christian? 

4.  Show  (a)  from  the  prophets  and  (b)  from  the  teach- 
ings of  Jesus  that  religion  is  not  a  mysterious  something  that 
one  is  to  "get,"  or  to  "have,"  apart  from  righteousness. 

5.  Where  does  Jesus  teach  us  that  we  are  to  be  like  him- 

130 


ZEAL  FOR  MANIFESTATION  OF  GOD     [VI-c] 

self?  Like  God?  In  what  points,  if  any,  are  we  taught  that 
a  lower  quality  of  life  is  expected  of  us? 

6.  What  is  involved  in  being  like  Jesus?     Like  God? 

7.  Bring  out  from  Christ's  words  what  difference  in  obliga- 
tion for  the  recovery  of  the  world  belonged  to  him  as  com- 
pared to  us. 

'  8.  The  Moravians .  over  a  century  ago  inserted  in  their 
instructions  to  their  missionaries  the  direction  that  "until  the 
Brethren  shall  be  able  to  express  themselves  intelligently  to 
the  heathen,  they  must  be  contented  with  preaching  by  their 
walk  and  conversation  only."  What  are  some  of  the  ways 
in  which  you  could  show  what  is  meant  by  brotherhood  to  a 
person  who  does  not  understand  your  tongue?  What  are 
the  results  of  putting  too  much  dependence  on  the  tongue- 
method? 

9.  Name  several  important  social  forces  in  the  order  of 
their  importance.  Where  in  this  list  would  a  discerning 
visitor  to  our  land  place  the  actual  embodiment  of  Chris- 
tianity ? 

10.  In  what  ways  may  the  God-life  be  incarnated  in  the 
twentieth  century? 

11.  Discuss  the  truth  of  the  following  statement:  "God  only 
works  for  men  in  so  far  as  he  works  through  men." 

12.  What  would  be  the  loss  to  the  Church  and  to  Chris- 
tendom if  none  of  the  missionaries  of  the  nineteenth  century 
had  lived? 


131 


CHAPTER  Vn 

Courage  for  World  Purposes 

There  have  been  times  when  religioiKS  leaders  had  as  their 
greatest  good  the  winning  of  the  martyr's  crown.  Charles 
Spinola,  as  he  led  forth  to  the  Martyr's  Mount  a  group  of 
over  fifty  missionaries  and  Japanese  Christians  to  give  up 
their  lives  for  Christ,  said :  "I  know  not  to  what  I  can 
attribute  my  happy  lot,  except  to  the  goodness  of  my  Saviour, 
who  wishes  to  manifest  the  riches  of  his  mercy  upon  his 
unworthy  servant."  During  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth 
centuries  there  was  an  "Association  of  Martyrs,"  the  purpose 
of  which  was  "to  strengthen  those  who  were  hourly  exposed 
to  a  cruel  death,  by  teaching  them  to  consider  martyrdom  as 
the  highest  earthly  joy."  Under  such  influence  there  was  little 
solicitude  over  what,  to  most,  would  seem  to  be  an  uncalled- 
for  waste  of  life. 

Such  days  of  forlorn  hopes  and  hairbreadth  escapes  and 
dramatic  martyrdoms  have  largely  passed.  And  with  them 
has  passed  the  longing  for  their  particular  ideal.  It  is  not 
enough  for  a  life  to  be  harmless,  or  even  to  yield  itself  in 
martyrdom;  it  must  be  effectual.  To  see  the  truth  is  not 
enough ;  that  truth  must  be  made  prevalent.  It  does  not 
satisfy  to  know  the  cause  of  social  wrong;  those  causes  must 
be  removed.  Service  must  be  delivered,  and  increased  happi- 
ness in  others  actually  brought  about.  One  mark  of  a  world 
Christian  is,  therefore,  the  passion  of  a  great  purpose,  the 
belief  that  God  is  glorified  in  the  bearing  of  much  fruit  and 
the  ardent  desire  to  make  one's  life  count  for  the  very  utmost 
in  world-reconstruction.  It  is  the  belief,  not  only  that  there 
are  great  tasks  to  be  accomplished,  but  that  one  must  join 
with  God  in  completing  them.  Let  us  see  if  we  cannot  enter 
the  fellowship  of  those  who  have  had  great  world  aims. 

Seventh  Week,  First  Day:  The  Master  in  World 
Purpose 

I  came  that  they  may  have  life,  and  may  have  it  abun- 
dantly.— John  10 :  lo. 

132 


COURAGE  FOR  WORLD  PURPOSES     [VII-2] 

Only  as  we  ourselves  grow  can  we  see  the  greatness  of  the 
life  purpose  in  this  verse.  As  wide  as  the  world,  as  deep  as 
human  nature,  as  limitless  as  the  unfathomed  resources  of 
God  is  the  abundant  life  Jeaus  came  to  bring.  And  when 
we  pause  to  think  over  the  content  he  put  into  this  life  pur- 
pose, we  cannot  but  kneel  in  reverence.  "Never  has  a  human 
will  been  set  on  ends  so  lofty  and  sublime.  What  object  of 
human  endeavor  can  be  compared  with  the  purpose  of  Christ 
to  redeem  human  life  from  the  evils  that  assail  and  corrupt 
it,  to  establish  a  kingdom  resting,  not  on  force,  but  on  the 
free  service  of  converted  wills,  to  bring  it  to  pass  that  the 
will  of  God  should  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  done  in  heaven, 
to  destroy  the  unbelief  in  men's  hearts  and  make  them  the 
children  of  the  Father  in  heaven?  As  the  explorer  goes  out 
to  discover  new  lands,  as  the  adventurer  sets  forth  to  find  or 
build  a  kingdom,  Christ  calls  his  followers  to  explore  the 
undiscovered  treasures  of  the  spiritual  world,  and  to  labor 
for  a  kingdom  of  everlasting  splendor,  a  kingdom  of  truth 
and  righteousness  and  love,  whose  builder  and  maker  is  God."* 

Let  us  who  profess  to  follow  him  not  think  that  discipleship 
is  summed  up  merely  in  correct  belief  with  reference  to  his 
person  or  his  mission — centering,  that  is,  on  something  intel- 
lectual. Following  Jesus  means  taking  up  his  program  and 
expanding  our  narrow  grasp  of  heart  and  will  until  we  have 
committed  our  lives  to  his  great  world-transforming  purpose. 
Shall  we  not  learn  from  him? 

Seventh  Week,  Second  Day:  Living  Up  to  Christ's 
Ideal  for  Us 

Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  He  that  believeth  on  me, 
the  works  that  I  do  shall  he  do  also;  and  greater  works 
than  these  shall  he  do;  because  I  go  unto  the  Father. — 
John   14:  12. 

Herein  is  my  Father  glorified,  that  ye  bear  much  fruit; 
and  so  shall  ye  be  my  disciples. — John  15:  8. 

Not  only  did  Jesus  have  a  great  world-purpose,  but  his 
aspiration  was  that  the  lives  of  his  followers  should  eventuate 
in  results  of  eternal  value.  Are  they  doing  it?  Let  us  turn 
to  one  of  the  most  characteristic  expressions  of  the  Church 
for  answer. 

1  J.  H.  Oldham,  in  "  The  Missionary  Motive,"  edited  by  W.  Paton,  p.  32. 
133 


[VlI-3]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

Speaking  of  the  organized  efforts  of  the  Church  in  modern 
times  to  express  the  highest  type  of  Christian  world  friend- 
ship, one  of  our  most  popular  speakers  to  students  said, 
"Foreign  missions  are  the  most  effective  movement  in  human 
history."  A  professor  in  the  University  of  Chicago  speaks 
of  them  as  "the  most  significant  and  serious  of  all  twentieth 
century  enterprises."  The  editor  of  the  British  quarterly. 
The  East  and  the  West,  writes :  "The  task  on  which  missions 
are  engaged,  whether  viev/ed  from  a  spiritual,  a  moral,  or  an 
educational  standpoint,  is  the  greatest  which  men  have  essayed 
to  undertake."  The  senior  secretary  amongst  our  American 
foreign  missionary  boards  speaks  of  this  enterprise  as  "the 
most  profound  and  difficult  problem  that  is  moving  over  the 
face  of  the  earth."  A  much-valued  British  author  holds  that 
"the  missionary  enterprise  is  no  longer  a  romance,  it  has  be- 
come a  great  epic — the  greatest  the  world  has  yet  produced." 

Those  who  take  the  trouble  to  become  informed  see  this 
movement  promoting  democracy,  spreading  liberty,  diffusing 
education,  elevating  womanhood,  glorifying  childhood,  healing 
sickness,  improving  living  conditions,  recreating  communities, 
destroying  social  abuses,  overcoming  moral  abominations,  and 
proving  everywhere  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every 
man  and  nation  that  believeth.  And  incidentally,  one  may 
note  that  an  impartial  witness  like  Dr.  Simon  Flexner,  who 
made  investigations  for  the  China  Medical  Board  of  the 
Rockefeller  Foundation,  can  state  that  "there  is  no  organiza- 
tion in  the  world,  either  philanthropic  or  business,  which  is 
getting  as  large  returns  out  of  the  money  it  spends  as  the 
various  boards  of  foreign  missions." 

Evidently  there  are  Christians  who  have  dared  to  work 
for  world  results.  In  nation  after  nation  one  may  see  the 
silent  march  of  an  unseen  Power.  But  this  is  because  world 
Christians  have  made  great  ventures.  In  these  days,  when 
one  of  the  most  powerful  convictions  operating  among  men 
is  the  belief  that  the  world  can  be  made  better,  shall  we  not 
suffuse  our  minds  with  the  largeness  of  Christ's  expectation 
for  us? 

Seventh   Week,   Third   Day:   Making   Known   the 
Love  of  Christ 

For  this  cause  I  bow  my  knees  unto  the  Father,  from 
whom  every  family  in  heaven  and  on  earth  is  named,  that 

134 


COURAGE  FOR  WORLD  PURPOSES     [VII-4] 

he  would  grant  you,  according  to  the  riches  of  his  glory, 
that  ye  may  be  strengthened  with  power  through  his  Spirit 
in  the  inward  man;  that  Christ  may  dwell  in  your  hearts 
through  faith;  to  the  end  that  ye,  being  rooted  and 
grounded  in  love,  may  be  strong  to  apprehend  v/ith  all 
the  saints  what  is  the  breadth  and  length  and  height  and 
depth,  and  to  know  the  love  of  Christ  which  passeth 
knowledge,  that  ye  may  be  filled  unto  all  the  fulness  of 
God. — Eph.  3:  14-19. 

That  men  should  know  the  love  of  Christ,  and  hence  be 
filled  with  all  the  fulness  of  God — this  was  the  great  ideal 
for  men  for  which  Paul  prayed  and  worked.  To  a  great 
extent  the  young  men  and  women  even  of  our  own  country 
are  not  only  out  of  touch  with  Christianity,  but  do  not  know 
what  Christianity  is.  Or  else  they  think  they  can  grasp  its 
significance  without  serious  study,  and  can  comprehend  its 
full  meaning  in  a  shallow  understanding  of  love  to  God  and 
to  fellowmen.  Read  over  these  verses  and  realize  the  im- 
mensity of  the  work  that  God  must  do  in  the  hearts  of  men 
before  this  prayer  for  the  youth  of  our  own  and  other  nations 
can  be  answered. 

From  some  standpoints  it  would  seem  a  simple  matter  to 
tell  about  Jesus  to  those  who  know  him  not.  A  missionary  in 
India  actually  spent  his  time  in  going  on  horseback  through 
the  villages  proclaiming  his  good  news.  But  no  Paul  Revere's 
ride  through  the  universe  will  serve  the  purpose ;  no  mega- 
phone, however  powerful,  will  accomplish  this  high  end.  Far 
too  much  is  involved  in  making  the  message  understood. 
Sometimes  it  seems  almost  impossible  to  deliver  a  direct  and 
simple  message  that  will  find  its  way  home.  But  now  let 
us  read  these  verses  over  and  over  again,  making  them  and 
the  realities  for  which  they  stand  so  vital  in  our  lives  that 
the  great  attempt  with  God's  help  to  make  them  true  in 
others'  lives  will  be  the  inevitable  outcome  of  rich  experience 
and  deep  gratitude. 

Seventh  Week,  Fourth  Day :  A  Task  of  Unrivalled 
Potentiality 

There  is  one  body,  and  one  Spirit,  even  as  also  ye  were 
called  in  one  hope  of  your  calling;  one  Lord,  one  faith, 
one  baptism,  one  God  and  Father  of  all,  who  is  over  all, 
and  through  all,  and  in  all.  .  .  .  For  the  perfecting  of  the 

135 


[VII-4]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

saints,  unto  the  work  of  ministering,  unto  the  building 
up  of  the  body  of  Christ:  till  we  all  attain  unto  the  unity 
of  the  faith,  and  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God,  unto 
a  fullgrown  man,  unto  the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the 
fulness  of  Christ.  .  .  .  From  whom  all  the  body  fitly 
framed  and  knit  together  through  that  which  every  joint 
supplieth,  according  to  the  working  in  due  measure  of 
each  several  part,  maketh  the  increase  of  the  body  unto 
the  building  up  of  itself  in  love.  .  .  .  Wherefore,  putting 
away  falsehood,  speak  ye  truth  each  one  with  his  neigh- 
bor: for  we  are  mem.bers  one  of  another. — Eph.  4:4-6, 
12,  13,  16,  25. 

So  far  do  many  of  our  churches  come  from  the  ideal  of 
these  verses,  that  many  people  are  restless  with  the  Church 
as  an  institution,  and  question  whether  it  should  figure  in 
a  real  world  program.  We  remember,  however,  the  place 
it  held  in  the  program  of  the  greatest  world  Christian  after 
Jesus.  In  a  little  more  than  ten  years  Paul  had  established 
churches  in  four  provinces  of  the  Roman  Empire,  selecting 
important  centers  of  Roman  administration,  Greek  civiliza- 
tion, Jewish  influence,  and  large  trade.  Over  a  score  of 
churches  are  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament — Antioch,  Asia, 
Babylon,  Cenchreae,  Caesarea,  Cilicia,  Corinth,  Ephesus,  Ga- 
latia,  Galilee,  Jerusalem,  Joppa,  Judaea,  Laodicea,  Pergamos, 
Philadelphia,  Samaria,  Sardis,  Smyrna,  Syria,  Thessalonica, 
and  Thyatira.  Certainly  one  of  the  very  definite  proximate 
aims  of  this  great  worker  was  the  establishment  of  churches. 

And  if  you  should  lay  aside  the  Church  as  a  social  institu- 
tion you  would  have  to  bring  back  something  else,  not  unlike 
what  the  Church  can  be,  in  order  to  realize  your  vision  of  the 
Christian  social  ideal,  and  to  foster  that  attitude  of  expectant 
faith  without  which  visions  do  not  come.  The  Church  needs 
constructive  criticism,  but  it  has  potentialities  as  an  institution 
for  human  welfare  to  which  we  are  just  awaking. 

It  is  not  strange,  then,  that  world  Christians  of  our  own 
day  have  made  one  of  their  most  definite  of  aims,  the  estab- 
lishment of  self-supporting,  self-governing,  and  self-propa- 
gating churches  in  every  land.  But  note  what  really  gigantic 
problems  are  involved.  Instead  of  creeds  which  are  merely 
reminiscent  of  struggles  that  have  been  real  and  valid  for  the 
West,  the  thinkers  of  these  churches  must  formulate  on  the 
one  hand  what  a  Christian  ought  to  believe  with  reference  to 

136 


COURAGE  FOR  WORLD  PURPOSES     [VII-5] 

those  things  which  have  exercised  the  earnest  rehgious  thought 
of  their  own  lands,  such  as  karma,  transmigration,  and  ances- 
tor worship ;  and  on  the  other  what  a  Christian  should  believe 
with  reference  to  those  realms  of  religious  thought  which 
their  lands  have  neglected,  such  as  moral  renewal  and  the 
character  of  God,  polygamy,  and  household  slavery.  Before 
each  of  these  churches  lie  the  vast  problems  of  an  unevangel- 
ized  nation,  the  task  of  raising  up  strong  native  leadership, 
the  education  of  the  illiterate,  the  provision  of  Christian 
literature,  and  the  working  out  of  a  special  Christian  approach 
to  the  non-Christian  philosophies  and  systems  of  their  land 
after  having  assimilated  the  moral  principles  of  the  Gospel 
for  all.  These  churojies  must  find  a  place  in  the  national  and 
social  life  of  their  own  lands,  and  learn  to  apply  the  social 
teachings  of  Jesus  to  their  own  peculiar  problems.  Surely  in 
helping  in  an  enterprise  fraught  with  so  many  difficulties 
and  dangers,  one  needs  to  pray  for  powers  commensurate 
with  the  task.  One  would  not  need  to  pray  for  a  larger  or 
more  significant  task. 


Seventh  Week,  Fifth  Day:  The  Length  of  a  Lever 
That  Can  Remove  America's  Load 

•  But  ye  shall  receive  power,  when  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
come  upon  you:  and  ye  shall  be  my  witnesses  both  in 
Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judaea  and  Samaria,  and  unto  the 
uttermost  part  of  the  earth. — Acts  i ;  8. 

In  spite  of  the  world  outreach  of  the  Christian  impulse, 
found  both  implicitly  and  explicitly  in  the  New  Testament, 
there  are  those  who  would  have  us  limit  our  aim  at  first  to 
Christianizing  America.  As  long  as  there  is  so  much  that 
needs  attention  in  our  own  land,  why  enter  upon  a  program 
that  looks  out  "unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth"? 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  the  weight  right  here  at  home 
is  such  that  a  lever  that  would  move  it  must  be  long  enough 
to  reach  to  China.  Only  the  faith  that  dares  set  itself  to  the 
purification  and  enrichment  of  a  whole  world's  life  will  have 
dynamic  enough  to  deal  effectively  with  the  situation  at  one's 
door.  Our  own  land  will  not  become  thoroughly  socialized 
without  great  sacrifice;  but  no  goal  less  than  the  ennobling 
and  uplifting  of   all  humanity   will  be  big  enough   to   elicit 

137 


[VII-6]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

the    sacrifice   and    the   loyalty    demanded    even    by   our   own 
needs. 

Moreover,  as  we  saw  in  Chapter  II,  there  are  elements  in 
Christianity  which  must  be  emphasized  and  brought  to  light 
through  the  reactions  of  India  and  China  and  Japan.  Can 
anything  less  than  a  Christ  who  is  manifestly  meeting  the 
needs  of  every  land  be  adequate  even  for  our  own? 

Still  further,  as  we  saw  in  Chapter  I,  we  are  so  interlinked 
and  involved  with  other  peoples  in  the  shrunken  world  of 
today,  that  we  can  not  perfect  ourselves  alone.  The  social 
order  in  America  will  never  be  Christian  through  and  through, 
if  Africa  and  South  America  and  the  Near  East  lag  far  4 
behind.  ^ 

But  most  of  these  considerations,  which  we  have  just  been 
mentioning  in  favor  of  the  adoption  of  a  great  world  program, 
have  a  selfish  tinge  about  them,  when  surely  God's  plan  has 
unselfishness  at  the  heart  of  it.  As  we  saw  in  Chapter  VI,  the 
group  that  sets  before  itself  the  end  of  self-salvation  first 
has  missed  the  very  conception  of  what  salvation  is,  and  will 
possess  no  inward  vitality  that  will  cause  it  to  prevail.  Only 
a  forth-going  people  can  have  infilling  fellowship  with  a 
God  who  loves. 

Seventh  Week,  Sixth  Day:  Empowered  for  a  Task 

And  when  the  multitude  saw  what  Paul  had  done,  they 
lifted  up  their  voice,  saying  in  the  speech  o£  Lycaonia, 
The  gods  are  come  down  to  us  in  the  likeness  of  men. 
And  they  called  Barnabas,  Jupiter;  and  Paul,  Mercury, 
because  he  was  the  chief  speaker.  And  the  priest  of 
Jupiter  whose  temple  was  before  the  city,  brought  oxen 
and  garlands  unto  the  gates,  and  would  have  done  sacri- 
fice with  the  multitudes.  But  when  the  apostles,  Barnabas 
and  Paul,  heard  of  it,  they  rent  their  garments,  and  sprang 
forth  among  the  multitude,  crying  out  and  saying,  Sirs, 
why  do  ye  these  things?  We  also  are  men  of  like  pas- 
sions with  you,  and  bring  you  good  tidings,  that  ye  should 
turn  from  these  vain  things  unto  a  living  God,  who  made 
the  heaven  and  the  earth  and  the  sea,  and  all  that  in  them 
is. — Acts  14:  11-15. 

We  must  not  reject  a  world  citizen's  purpose  and  obliga- 
tion because  they  seem  too  great  for  us.  Paul  and  Barnabas 
refused  to  be  considered  as  greater  in  themselves  than  other 

138 


COURAGE  FOR  WORLD  PURPOSES     [VII-7] 

men.  In  like  manner  Peter  answered  the  men  who  were 
astonished  at  an  exceptionally  wonderful  evidence  of  power 
in  himself  and  John :  "Ye  men  of  Israel,  why  marvel  ye  at 
this  man?  or  why  fasten  ye  your  eyes  on  us,  as  though  by 
our  own  power  or  godliness  we  had  made  him  to  walk?" 
(Acts  3:12).  These  great  leaders  of  the  early  Church  did 
not  attempt  to  undertake  to  Christianize  the  Mediterranean 
world  in  their  own  strength ;  they  khew  how  to  continue  in 
touch  with  resources  that  empowered  them  above  their  natural 
selves. 

And  so  today  we  must  guard  against  placing  missionaries 
on  pedestals  as  superior  beings,  lifted  above  the  tests  and 
criticism  to  which  other  mortals  must  be  subjected.  They 
have  a  big  purpose,  and  are  drawing  heavily  on  God's  suffi- 
ciency, but  only  as  j^ou  and  I  can  do.  A  trip  of  ten  thousand 
miles  across  the  seas  does  not  in  itself  exempt  them  from 
human  frailties.  The  Source  of  their  faith  and  hope  and 
fruitage  is  as  open  to  you  as  to  them.  God  is  calling  you 
to  partnership  in  a  great  task.  Are  you  willing  to  be  em- 
powered, as  were  Paul  and  Barnabas,  Peter  and  John? 

Seventh  Week,  Seventh  Day :  The  Great  Handbook 
for  World  Tasks 

Let  the  peoples  praise  thee,  O  God; 
Let  all  the  peoples  praise  thee. 
O  let  the  nations  be  glad  and  sing  for  joy; 
For  thou  wilt  judge  the  peoples  with  equity, 
And  govern  the  nations  upon  earth. 
Let  the  peoples  praise  thee,  O  God; 
Let  all  the  peoples  praise  thee. 
The  earth  hath  yielded  its  increase: 
God,  even  our  own  God,  will  bless  us. 
God  will  bless  us; 

And   all   the    ends   of   the    earth   shall   fear   him. — Psalm 
67:3-7. 

The  book  which  contains  the  greatest  stimulus  to  world 
outreach  is  the  Bible.  In  the  Old  Testament  there  are  to 
be  found  magnificent  sweeps  of  world-embracing  thought, 
such  as  the  unity  and  power  of  God  in  the  first  chapter  of 
Genesis ;  the  revelation  of  the  universal  purpose  of  God 
(Gen.  9:  15;  12:  1-3;  28:  13,  14;  49:  10)  ;  the  glorious  exalta- 
tion of  Jehovah  as  reigning  in  righteousness  to  the  ends  of 

139 


[VII-7]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

the  earth  (Psalm  33:5-15;  72:8-20;  96;  98;  117);  and  the 
internationalism  of  prophecy  (Isa,  11:1-10;  40:1-8;  42:1-7; 
45:1-8;  49:1-7;  55:1-5;  Jer.  31:31-34;  Joel  2:28;  Micah 
4:1-3;  Hab.  2:14;  Zech.  9:10).  We  may  see  in  Ruth  a 
marked  example  of  a  non-Israelite  being  admitted  through 
fitness  of  character  to  the  circle  of  the  elect;  or  in  Jonah,  a 
call  to  foreign  evangelism  as  against  narrow  exclusiveness. 

But  our  greatest  inspiration  for  world  interest  from  the 
Old  Testament  comes  from  taking  a  large  historical  view 
of  the  trend  of  Israel's  whole  development.  We  can  see  the 
way  in  which  God  trained  a  people,  racially  and  religiously 
the  most  persistently  exclusive  that  the  world  has  ever  known, 
until  their  most  prophetic  spirits  triumphed  over  national 
provincialism  and  selfishness.  An  exclusive  cult  became  the 
channel  through  which  a  religion  meant  for  all  the  world  was 
developed,  preserved,  and  distributed.  No  one  interested  in 
a  Christian  world  view  can  afford  to  neglect  the  grand,  sweep 
of  Israel's  history. 

Similarly  the  missionary  character  of  the  New  Testament 
does  not  reside  in  a  few  quotable  texts  such  as  John  three, 
sixteen  and  seventeen,  or  the  Great  Commission.  It  pervades 
its  very  fabric.  In  the  gospels  we  find  the  clearest  statement 
of  the  principles  of  the  Kingdom,  the  ideals  of  universal 
brotherhood  and  world-wide  service,  and  the  greatest  per- 
manent source  for  getting  back  to  the  great  Giver  of  the 
world's  good  news. 

Most  of  the  New  Testament  was  written  by  men  who  were 
engaged  in  the  same  work  as  missionaries  of  the  present  day. 
They,  too,  were  grappling  with  the  chains  of  custom,  preju- 
dice, and  unbelief  which  bound  their  converts  under  the  sway 
of  an  immemorial  past.  Instead  of  ''Acts  of  the  Apostles"  we 
might  read  "Deeds  of  Missionary  Saints,"  or  "Some  Deeds 
of  Those  Who  Were  Set  Apart  and  Sent  Forth."  Of  all 
the  books  of  the  Bible  this  is  the  most  unfinished,  with  glorious 
chapters  being  added  every  year.  Since  the  word  "mission- 
ary" is  the  Latin  equivalent  for  the  Greek  "apostle,"  both 
words  meaning  "one  who  is  sent,"  it  is  interesting  to  make 
the  substitution  in  such  passages  as  Luke  6:13;  22:14;  I 
Cor.  15:9;  II  Pet.  Z'-2- 

The  writings  of  Paul  are  the  letters  of  a  missionary :  Ro- 
mans, a  message  to  Christians  at  the  heart  of  the  Empire 
from  the  heart  of  a  missionary  who  longed  to  visit  them; 

140 


COURAGE  FOR  WORLD  PURPOSES     [VII-c] 

Corinthians,  the  Gospel  for  converts  left  without  instruction 
in  a  heathen  port ;  Galatians,  a  letter  to  country  districts  about 
to  be  Judaized;  Ephesians,  an  epistle  from  an  imprisoned 
missionary  to  Christians  in  a  heathen  cathedral  city;  Philip- 
pians,  a  letter  to  a  typical  Roman  colony  where  resided  the 
missionary's  first  converts  in  Europe ;  and  the  pastoral  epistles, 
instructions  to  missionary  lieutenants. 

COMMENT  FOR  THE  WEEK 

"Christianity  is  a  religion  that  expects  you  to  do  things.'* 
So  runs  a  Japanese  saying.  And  while  we  know  what  a  high 
call  comes  to  us  to  be,  yet  we  recognize  the  validity  of  Carey's 
famous  summons :  "Expect  great  things  of  God,  attempt  great 
things  for  God."  We  have  been  looking  at  some  of  the  great 
tasks  of  a  Christian;  let  us  see  in  what  other  ways  the 
Christian  must  have  a  high  aim  for  life  investment. 

I 

The  progressive  development  of  Christian  personality  is 
one  of  the  greatest  ventures  that  enlist  the  faith  of  a  world 
Christian.  He  will  want  to  cooperate  in  the  great  adventure 
of  peopling  the  world  with  men  and  women  who  have  re- 
leased God's  image,  and  who  may  therefore  be  trusted  with 
moral  creativity. 

At  the  furthest  extreme  from  this  attainment  are  the 
women  of  many  of  the  tribes  of  Africa.  They  have  been  mere 
property  so  long,  so  used  to  being  ordered,  so  little  used  to 
initiative  of  their  own,  that  the  expression  "creative  per- 
sonality" hardly  seems  applicable  to  them  at  all.  Not  many 
decades  ago  Christian  leaders  in  more  than  one  non-Christian 
land  who  were  inaugurating  women's  education  had  to  hear 
the  taunt:  "They  will  want  to  educate  our  cows  next."  Pro- 
fessor Nitobe,  President  of  the  new  Union  Christian  College 
for  Women  at  Tokyo,  has  said  for  Japan :  "Probably  most 
men  would  admit  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  personality,  but 
they  would  also  assert  that  it  is  entirely  masculine.  Women, 
they  would  say,  have  none.  Their  place  in  our  economy  has 
been  entirely  derivative.  Christianity  cuts  directly  across  this 
idea,  laying  stress  upon  individual  responsibility  and  freedom. 
Christianity  has  given  us  a  new  valuation  of  women." 

141 


IVlI-c]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

Now  what  Professor  Nitobe  says  is  true.  For,  a  careful 
comparison  of  the  social  results  of  the  various  religions  shows 
that  at  no  point  is  there  greater  contrast  betiveen  Christian 
and  non-Christian  systems  than  in  the  treatment  of  woman, 
and  in  the  development  of  her  personality.  One  would  will- 
ingly stake  judgment  as  to  the  power  of  Christianity  on  this 
one  point  alone.  It  will  be  found  that  in  Christendom  there 
has  been  a  tendency  toward  a  continuously  progressive  de- 
velopment of  the  individuality  of  women.  The  introduction 
of  love  rather  than  property  as  the  basis  for  marriage,  mo- 
nogamy in  the  place  of  polygamy  and  concubinage,  abandon- 
ment of  arbitrary  divorce,  ideals  of  domestic  purity,  woman's 
increased  sharing  in  the  rights  and  privileges  of  domestic, 
social,  and  political  life — these  are  movements  that  have  been 
fostered  by  the  fundamental  principles  of  Jesus.  Since  so 
great  a  change  is  wrought  through  contact  with  Jesus  Christ, 
it  is  not  strange  that  great  souls  have  had  the  high  ambition 
to  improve  the  status  of  the  world's  womanhood  by  bringing 
non-Christian  peoples  in  contact  with  him  and  with  his 
principles  and  valuation  of  life. 

Suppose  you  were  passing  along  a  road  in  Turkey  and  saw 
by  the  wayside  a  girl  making  a  sound  as  of  some  animal. 
And  suppose  on  going  nearer  she  began  to  curse  and  spit  upon 
you,  would  you  have  faith  to  attempt  her  reformation?  It 
was  a  world  Christian  in  the  shape  of  a  medical  missionary 
who  passed  just  such  a  girl.  The  people  of  the  neighboring 
towns  had  told  him  that  if  ever  a  devil  was  in  a  person,  this 
girl  was  demon-possessed.  But  his  heart  was  touched. 
Amidst  her  curses  he  caught  her  in  his  arms  and  by  sheer 
main  force  carried  her  along  as  she  bit  at  him.  She  was  taken 
to  a  mission  girls'  school.  The  story  of  what  happened  dur- 
ing the  next  six  years  is  one  full  of  patient,  Christ-like  love 
for  this  girl  on  the  part  of  the  Christian  staff.  At  the  end 
she  was  graduated  along  with  others,  and  the  subject  of  her 
final  essay  was  "The  Love  of  God."  After  completing  her 
education  she  said :  'T  want  to  go  to  some  hard  place — a  place 
to  which  another  will  not  go."  In  this  spirit  she  was  sent 
to  a  very  needy  village.  After  a  year  a  petition,  signed  by 
all  the  prominent  men  of  that  village,  came  asking  for  more 
workers.  "She  has  been  an  angel  of  light.  She  has  trans- 
formed this  village.  Send  some  one  to  teach  the  men  as  she 
has  been  teaching  the  women." 

142 


COURAGE  FOR  WORLD  PURPOSES     [VII-c] 

Glance  at  any  land  in  which  Christ  has  had  a  chance,  and 
you  will  find  women  released  and  ever  more  and  more  free. 
In  Japan,  for  example,  you  will  find  a  good  example  of  Chris- 
tian personality  in  Madame  Hiroaka,  one  of  the  richest 
women  in  Japan,  and  daughter  of  the  distinguished  Mitsui 
family.  In  Japan's  recent  evangelistic  campaign  she  went 
from  one  end  of  the  Empire  to  the  other,  speaking  about 
Christ  in  every  large  town,  in  hall  and  theater.  Surely  here 
is  no  lack  of  personality. 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  very  touching  gratitude  is  expressed 
by  those  who  have  been  thus  helped  by  Christ?  The  mother 
of  Mr.  Yamanouchi,  one  of  the  oldest  evangelists  in  Japan, 
every  night  of  her  life  after  her  conversion,  slept  with  her 
face  toward  America.  "For  in  the  West  is  America,  and  from 
America  came  my  great  light." 

II 

But  the  attempt  to  develop  Christian  personality  has  not 
stopped  with  women.  For  the  whole  social  system  in  many 
lands  has  overemphasized  the  corporate  spirit  so  that  indi- 
viduality has  been  under-developed.  The  East  has  thought 
in  terms  of  the  group.  For  example,  in  India  caste  has  not 
permitted  individualism  to  come  to  its  own,  so  that  the  tend- 
ency is  for  people  to  act  in  masses.  The  communal  spirit 
makes  the  caste  so  dominant  that  members  of  the  caste  can 
hardly  be  persuaded  to  act  on  their  own  initiative  or  convic- 
tions independently  of  their  neighbors.  In  matters  of  con- 
version they  wait  until  a  strong  party  or  a  whole  village  can 
come  over  to  Christianity.  This  lack  of  developed  indi- 
viduality is  taken  into  consideration  by  Christian  workers,  for 
they  recognize  that  they  must  either  see  that  the  whole  com- 
munity of  the  convert  comes  over  with  him,  or  else  take 
special  pains  that  the  new  convert  shall  soon  be  incorporated 
into  the  new  community.  It  is  a  psychological  necessity  that 
the  convert  should  be  conscious  of  a  group  environment. 

Similarly  in  Africa,  morality  is  the  morality  of  the  tribe, 
the  sept,  or  the  clan.  The  individual,  as  such,  has  hardly 
awakened  to  consciousness.  The  average  custom  of  the 
group  is  the  law  for  the  individual.  For  the  Burman  hillmen, 
the  South  American  Indians,  many  of  the  castes  of  India,  as 
well  as  for  the  tribes  of  Africa,  loyalty  to  custom  and  the 

143 


[VII-c]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

desire  to  follow  the  ways  of  their  fathers  are  the  virtues  of 
cardinal  importance.  Individual  dissatisfaction  with  old  be- 
liefs or  customs  hardly  has  a  chance  to  show  itself.  This 
feeling  of  solidarity  with  one's  group  makes  it  almost  im- 
possible for  the  individual  to  choose  for  himself  when  a 
new  religion  is  presented.  For  him,  religion  is  an  affair  of 
the  tribe.  Hence  it  seems  almost  a  miracle  when  the  first 
few  influential  ones  do  step  out  and  become  Christians.  When 
once  the  movement  has  been  started,  however,  the  very  feeling 
of  oneness  leads  others  to  follow.  Amongst  them  are  those 
who  frankly  acknowledge  that  they  have  become  Christian 
because  their  neighbors  took  the  step,  or  "because  they  wanted 
to  follow  the  elders." 

There  have  always  been  those  who  have  laughed  to  scorn 
the  high  faith  that  each  human  being  has  a  personality  to  be 
developed — is,  in  fact,  a  potential  son  of  God.  Sometimes  it 
is  gross  self-interest,  sometimes  lack  of  vision,  sometimes  the 
ingrained  teaching  of  religion,  that  lies  back  of  this  practical 
denial  of  souis  to  men.  All  of  these  reasons  were  doubtless 
operative  in  that  Hindu  landlord  who,  as  he  beat  the  Chris- 
tian teacher  and  drove  him  from  the  pariah  converts,  cried 
out :  "And  if  ever  you  come  into  my  village  again  and  open 
a  school  for  these  Christians,  I  will  kill  you!  Can  pigs  learn? 
Can  dogs  read?  You  get  out  and  stay  out."  But  the  same 
attitude  was  found  in  that  Christian  Boer  who  sneered  at 
Robert  Moffat.  When  Moffat,  stopping  at  a  comfortable  home 
in  South  Africa,  wanted  the  Hottentot  slaves  called  in  to 
evening  prayers,  the  farmer  scornfully  said:  "Hottentots  I  Do 
you  mean  that,  then?  Let  me  go  to  the  mountains  and  call 
the  baboons,  if  you  want  a  congregation  of  that  sort.  Or 
stop,  I  have  it;  my  sons,  call  the  dogs,  that  lie  in  front  of 
the  door;  they  will  do." 

But  one  does  not  need  to  go  to  the  Hindus  of  India,  or  to 
the  subjectors  of  the  Negro  race,  to  find  lack  of  faith  in  the 
project  of  the  development  of  sincere  Christian  personalities. 
"Rice  Christians"  may  be  secured,  of  course.  All  are  willing 
to  acknowledge  this.  But  how,  say  all  too  many,  can  there 
be  more  than  a  certain  change  of  external  forms,  and  the 
adoption  of  certain  pious  words  and  phrases,  in  connection 
with  religion  which  is  a  matter  of  centuries  of  tradition? 

Let  such  doubters  watch  a  certain  line  of  Chinese  students. 
The  Boxers  have  surrounded  the  school,  and  closed  all  but 

144 


COURAGE  FOR  WORLD  PURPOSES     [VII-c] 

a  single  gate.  A  cross  is  placed  in  front  of  this  single  outlet, 
and  word  is  sent  that  any  who  trample  upon  the  cross  may 
go  unhurt,  but  that  whoever  steps  around  the  cross  shall  be 
killed  at  once.  The  line  starts  out  the  gate.  The  first  seven 
trample  upon  the  cross,  and  go  absolutely  free.  The  next, 
a  girl,  kneels  before  the  cross ;  and  then,  rising,  passes  to  one 
side  to  be  shot  down  by  the  persecutors.  Not  another  in  that 
long  line  of  a  hundred  students  falters,  but  each  passes  to  one 
side  and  is  killed.  When  30,000  Chinese  could  face  death  in 
1900  rather  than  deny  their  Master,  when  the  Christians  of 
Uganda  could  brave  the  fires  of  a  thousand  martyrdoms,  when 
results  are  attested  by  life  and  the  giving  of  life,  the  expecta- 
tion of  great  things  from  God  is  justified. 

Ill 

The  world  Christian  will  attempt  great  things  in  the  Chris- 
tianization  of  the  social  order.  This  is  the  reason  why  the 
China  Continuation  Committee,  representing  all  the  Protestant 
missions  in  China,  has  an  official  sub-committee  on  "Social 
Service."  This  is  why  you  find  a  "Social  Welfare  Committee" 
reporting  to  the  Federated  Missions  of  Japan.  This  is  why 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  India  has  made  such  a  definite  effort  to 
mediate  to  every  Christian  agency  in  that  land  the  best  social 
guidance  that  could  be  secured. 

Such  agencies  are  specialized  eyes  and  brains  for  the  whole 
body  of  missionaries,  concentrating  their  attention  on  certain 
specific  evils  that  should  be  fought  (for  example,  in  Japan, 
licensed  prostitution,  the  geisha  system,  the  liquor  traffic,  and 
the  overwork  of  women  and  children  in  the  industrial  sys- 
tem) ;  and  focussing  attention  on  certain  positive  and  con- 
structive undertakings,  such  as  institutional  churches,  the 
promotion  of  playgrounds,  and  the  like. 

Christian,  statesmen  point  out  in  the  current  missionary 
year-book  for  Japan  that  the  labor  movement  in  that  land 
cannot  be  met  by  the  Government  or  by  organized  labor  alone. 
"There  is  an  insistent  call  for  Christian  men  and  Christian 
organizations  to  add  the  salt  of  the  kingdom,  which  alone 
can  save  laws  from  being  mechanical  and  can  lead  both 
laborers  and  employers  to  seek  not  their  own  advantage  but 
each   other's   good."" 

2  "  The  Christian  Movement  in  the  Japanese  Empire,  19 17."  P-  323. 
145 


[VII-c]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

Now  when  the  attempt  is  not  merely  the  conversion  of  the 
Japanese  but  the  Christianization  of  Japan  itself,  how  much 
it  rejoices  one  to  see  the  Japanese  themselves  taking  full 
initiative  in  these  matters.  For  example,  when  the  late 
Tsurukichi  Hatano,  after  having  squandered  a  fortune  in 
riotous  living,  is  rescued  in  Kobe  by  Christian  effort,  and 
reconciled  to  his  outraged  wife  and  family,  principles  are 
instilled  which  later  bear  fruit  in  a  most  marked  embodiment 
of  the  Christian  attitude  in  Japan's  modern  industry.  For 
this  penniless  prodigal  introduced  silk  culture  into  his  region 
and  eventually  developed  a  silk  jfilature,  where  3,000  workers 
produce  the  best  silk  thread  of  Japan.  Is  it  not  inspiring  to 
know  that  the  Gunsei  Silk  Filature  Company  has  regularly 
recurring  holidays  for  its  women  workers,  the  provision  of 
religious  services,  a  community  hospital,  night  and  day  schools, 
a  working  day  which  does  not  kill,  with  baths  and  comfort- 
able living  quarters — all  so  unlike  the  harsh  exploitation  of 
modern  industrial  Japan?  And  there  are  others — Mr.  Ko- 
bayashi,  Mr.  Obara,  a  dozen  others — who  are  far  ahead  of 
public  opinion  in  the  way  in  which  they  are  introducing  Chris- 
tian standards  of  industrial  betterment  into  the  new  life  of 
Japan. 

As  another  example  of  how  the  Christian  spirit  becomes 
indigenous,  one  may  instance  the  fight  against  the  social  evil 
in  Japan.  Some  two  decades  ago  a  Christian  missionary  did 
a  monumental  piece  of  work  for  Japan  and  for  her  enslaved 
women  in  a  great  attempt  for  social  purity.  Later,  a  Chris- 
tian community,  led  by  the  President  of  the  Lower  House 
of  Parliament,  secured  the  abolishment  of  public  houses  in 
their  district.  Still  later  Miss  Hayashi,  the  Jane  Addams  of 
Japan,  backed  by  pastors  in  a  vigorous  forty-day  campaign, 
secured  a  ruling  forbidding  the  opening  of  quarters  in  Osaka. 
Of  recent  years  there  has  been  no  other  more  marked  social 
activity  in  Japan  than  the  way  these  Christians  have  carried 
on  a  nation-wide  campaign  for  purity.  Through  crowded 
public  lectures,  through  smaller  church  meetings,  by  the  send- 
ing over  the  Empire  of  many  thousand  small  publications,  and 
by  issuing  3,000  copies  of  an  ably-edited  book  of  140  pages 
on  prostitution,  public  opinion  has  been  tremendously  ad- 
vanced and  concrete  tangible  results  attained.  The  significant 
thing  here  is  not  simply  that  a  great  measure  of  success  has 
been   achieved   against   this    strongly-entrenched   and   ancient 

146 

I 


COURAGE  FOR  WORLD  PURPOSES     [VII-c]  ; 

evil,  but  that  the  fight  has  of  late  been  waged  with  Japanese  \ 

initiative.  ' 

IV  '\ 

China  also  furnishes  inspiring  examples  of  attempting  great  • 

things  for  God   in   the   Christianization   of   the  social   order.  ' 

The  president  of  a  mission  college  situated  a  thousand  miles  ] 

inland  was  attempting  great  social  ends  for  that  land  when,  I 

in  addition  to  his  longing  for  direct  and  individual  conver-  \ 

sions    in    his    college,    he    was    arranging    for    a    far-reaching  : 

experiment.     When  last  in  America  he  was  negotiating  with  ; 

a   Christian   shoe  manufacturer,  to  go  to   China,   in  order  to  ; 
erect  and  run  a  big  shoe  plant  on  Christian  lines.    Thus  would 

he  give   to   that   inland   region  a  model   in   modern   industry,  , 
vastly   different    from   the   Western   methods    of    exploitation 
which  have  set  the  standard  inithe  coast  cities  of  China.    The 

call    has    come    for    other    Christian    business    men — tanners,  - 
hatmakers,    dyers,    spinners — who   will   go   out   to   lead    clean 
honest   lives   and   who   will   stamp   their   Christian   character, 

not  only   on  the   lives   of   their   employes,  but  on  the   whole  \ 

awakening  industrial  system  of  that  land.  ' 

But   again,   the   accomplishment   of    such    social    results    by 

^foreigners   is   not   the   highest   purpose    even    in    this    sphere.  ^ 

For   to   a   certain   extent  they   can   attain   their   end   through  ; 

giving   orders   and   exacting   obedience.     Results    obtained   in  ; 

this  way  are  as  nothing  compared  with  those  where  there  is  | 

a  sharing  of  purposes.     The  world  Christian  will  not  simply  ; 

want  to  accomplish  a  social  result ;  he  will  want  to  accomplish  j 

it  in  the  way  that  is  socially  most  educative,  so  that  the  result  \ 

will  include  lives  filled  with  a  new  purpose,  as  well  as  the  per-  \ 

formance  of  certain  acts.     It  is  most  inspiring,  therefore,  to  , 
see   in  one  part  of  the  world  after  another  lives   that  have 
caught   the    Christian    purpose,    men    and    women    who    have 
entered  into  conscious  cooperation  with  God  for  the  common 

good.  , 

The  Presbyterian  Mission  Press  at  Shanghai  was  doubtless  ; 
established  to  produce  Christian  literature  for  China,  but  no  \ 
one  would  regret  a  by-product  which  has  surpassed  the  origi- 
nal plant.  Three  compositors,  one  named  Hsia  and  two  named  j 
Bro,  left  the  mission  press  to  start,  in  a  little  room  twelve  I 
by  twelve,  an  establishment  of  their  own.  That  was  in  1891. 
Now  their  plant  turns  out  over  $2,000,000  worth  of  printed 

T47  i 


[VII-c]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

matter  every  year.  The  whole  is  conducted  on  Christian 
principles.  Day  schools  are  provided  for  the  children  of  the 
employes  and  night  schools  for  the  employes  themselves.  As 
the  largest  printing  house  in  China,  its  influence  is  incalcu- 
lable, for  the  printing  business  of  China  now  has  the  Chris- 
tian stamp  upon  it. 

When  Wong  Kwong,  the  president  of  the  Hanyang  Iron 
Works  near  Hankow,  had  erected  his  plant  he  realized  that 
fhe  1,500  prospective  employes  would  build  up  some  sort  of 
a  settlement  about  his  works,  and  so  because  he  was  a 
Christian  and  because  he  knew  some  of  the  social  solutions 
of  the  West,  he  made  a  model  village.  His  idea  of  being  a 
Christian  in  Hankow  meant  a  school,  a  cooperative  store,  a 
tea-house,  and  a  swimming  pool  as  well  as  a  church  in  the 
village  of  his  workmen. 

.  W^e  regard  it  as  a  mark  of  a  world  Christian  that  Yung 
Tao  was  impelled  not  only  to  distribute  1,000  copies  of  the 
Bible  to  his  friends,  but  also,  for  example,  to  draft  a  bill 
making  unlawful  the  continuance  of  polygamy. 

Promoters  from  the  West  become  enthusiastic  over  certain 
outcroppings  which  indicate  vast  coal  or  iron  fields  below 
China's  surface.  Shall  the  world  Christian  be  any  less  enthu- 
siastic over  these  outcroppings  of  Christian  character,  reveal- 
ing vast  unworked  resources  of  kindliness,  teachableness,  and 
love?  Do  you  not  feel  yourself  longing  that  not  only  China 
and  Japan,  but  the  whole  globe,  may  be  so  freed  from  old 
outgrown  standards  and  so  linked  up  with  the  Inspirer  of 
resourceful  love  that  every  here  and  there  bits  of  heaven 
shall  be  found  on  earth?  When  you  begin  to  frame  great 
desires  for  this  old  world  of  ours,  and  when  you  let  yourself 
really  yearn  for  the  vision  God  has  given  you,  you  have  most 
surely  attained  one  mark  of  a  world  Christian. 


Furthermore,  the  world  Christian  commits  himself  to  the 
growth  of  an  ideal  world  society  on  this  planet.  The  hygienic 
and  the  economic,  the  social  and  the  intellectual,  the  esthetic, 
the  moral,  and  the  religious  relationships  of  mankind  are  to 
be  permeated  with  the  spirit  of  mutual  love  and  service  and 
good  will.  The  report  of  the  great  ecumenical  conference  of 
missionaries  at  Edinburgh  says  that  "the  evangelization  of 
Africa  means  something  more  than  the  introduction  of  the 

148 


COURAGE  FOR  WORLD  PURPOSES     [VII-c] 

Gospel,  with  existing  forms  of  social  life.  It  means  the  intro- 
duction of  education  and  letters,  of  agriculture  and  industry, 
of  Christian  marriage,  and  of  due  recognition  of  the  sanctity 
of  human  life  and  of  property.  The  problem  before  the 
Church  is  the  creation  of  a  Christian  African  civilization."^ 
Shall  we  balk  before  this  huge  task  as  though  we  had  no  God? 

In  aiming  at  this  sevenfold  penetration  of  earth's  whole 
life  with  Christian  attitudes,  nothing  is  foreign  to  the  world 
Christian.  Everything  has  an  interest  to  him,  since  everything 
bears  upon  this  greatest  of  enterprises.  He  has  been  able 
to  grasp  the  whole  globe,  so  that  whatever  affects  the  relation 
of  man  to  man  or  nation  to  nation  is  his  concern. 

And  hence  we  always  find  among  the  Church's  ambassadors 
to  other  lands  men  who  have  been  true  statesmen.  Dr.  W.  A. 
P.  Martin  rendered  a  conspicuous  piece  of  international  serv- 
ice in  introducing  China  to  international  law — a  concept  new 
to  the  Eastern  mind.  Guido  Verbeck,  within  ten  years  of  his 
arrival  in  Japan,  was  called  to  Tokyo  to  found  the  Japanese 
educational  system ;  through  his  cooperation,  the  first  Japanese 
students  ^ere  sent  to  America;  in  1872  he  proposed  that 
epoch-making  Japanese  World's  Commission ;  he  had  the 
Government  place  its  medical  college  under  German  leader- 
ship ;  and  with  his  advice  the  French  legal  code  was  introduced. 
For  a  long  time  he  was  the  only  foreign  counselor  of  the 
Government.  Conscientious,  broadminded,  cosmopolitan,  he 
was  an  interpreter  of  the  larger  Christian  friendship  in  that 
formative  period  of  Japan's  new  life.  Cyrus  Hamlin  one 
day  would  be  teaching  a  poor  Armenian  how  to  make  and  sell 
Boston  rat-traps  for  the  support  of  himself  and  others;  on 
another  he  would  be  casting  a  steam  pipe  in  his  seminary 
workshop.  One  day  he  would  be  setting  up  an  engine  with  the 
help  of  Ure's  "Dictionary  of  the  Arts"  to  supply  bread  for 
Britain's  Crimean  armies ;  on  another  he  would  be  tempering 
mill-picks  for  the  dressing  of  his  mill-stones.  But  all  the 
while,  whether  as  Christian  educator  and  founder  of  Robert 
College  at  Constantinople,  or  as  maker  of  bread  or  flour  or 
stoves,  Cyrus  Hamlin  was  thinking  internationally — he  was  a 
missionary  statesman.  Dugald  Christie  of  Mukden,  deco- 
rated by  five  emperors,  unappalled  by  the  dread  pneumonic 
plague  that  was  devastating  Manchuria  in  1910-11,   fought  it 


3"  World's  Missionary  Conference,"  1910,  I,  p.  206. 
149 


[VII-c]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

hand  to  hand  until  the  plague  had  passed.  He  then  sum- 
moned an  international  conference  which  resulted  in  the 
discovery  of  the  germ  of  this  disease,  which  hitherto  had 
killed  every  victim  it  had  attacked.  The  Jesuits  put  their 
ideal  high,  and  demanded  that  each  member  of  their  order 
be  broadly  competent.  "Those  who  wish  to  become  Christ's 
companions  in  the  noble  enterprise  of  propagating  Christianity 
must  be  determined  to  distinguish  themselves  in  the  service 
of  their  heavenly  King.  They  are  not  to  be  satisfied  with 
being  ordinary  soldiers  in  the  army,  but  they  are  to  constitute 
as  it  were  Christ's  bodyguard.  Hence  the  name  of  the  society, 
'La  Compania  de  Jesus.' " 

It  is  only  when  we  interpret  the  aim  of  the  world  Christian 
as  Christianizing  the  whole  social  order  of  the  whole  world 
that  any  final  or  adequate  definiteness  of  purpose  comes  to 
the  modern  man.  Used  to  sizable  enterprises,  world-wide  in 
their  scope,  nothing  less  than  such  an  aim  will  command  his 
loyalty.  A  hundred  million  dollars  no  longer  seems  too  much 
to  comprehend  or  to  manage.  Endowed  with  such  a  sum, 
the  Rockefeller  Foundation,  aiming  constructively  to  "promote 
the  well-being  of  mankind  throughout  the  world,"  forms  its 
world-wide  organization  for  applying  scientific  knowledge  to 
human  welfare,  and  the  means — research,  medical  education, 
public  health  administration,  survey  and  commissions,  ex- 
change of  specialists  and  student  migrations — follow  naturally. 
For  such  a  sum  the  Y  M  C  A  calmly  made  its  plea  after 
having  wisely  administered  half  that  amount.  With  the  War's 
revelation  of  capacities  for  sacrifice  and  cooperative  atta^in- 
ment,  the  day  of  small  enterprises  has  been  outgrown. 

This  world  aim  of  the  Christian,  furthermore,  is  one  that 
has  no  individual  or  even  national  flavor.  All  the  men  of 
good  will  of  whatever  nation  or  religion,  who  want  this  earth 
to  become  a  decent  place  in  which  to  live,  can  join  in  six- 
sevenths  of  the  aim.  More  and  more,  as  Christian  men  and 
women  manifest  in  life,  and  not  alone  in  profession,  the 
vitality  of  our  Lord,  all  will  unite  in  the .  seventh  as  well. 
They,  too,  will  want  as  man's  highest  good  that  he  should  be 
Christ-like. 

W^hat  other  demand  than  this  sevenfold  aim  is  big  and 
true  and  real  enough  to  unite  earth's  family  in  cooperative 
objective  endeavor?  To  make  health  the  possible  attainment 
for  all;  to  abolish  all  necessity  for  existence  beloiv  the  poverty 

150 


COURAGE  FOR  WORLD  PURPOSES     [VII-c] 

line  the  world  around;  to  enable  each  human  being  through 
education  to  enter  as  far  as  possible  into  his  heritage;  to 
discover  and  to  eradicate  all  causes  of  social  maladjustment; 
to  develop  capacities  of  response  in  all  to  sunsets  and  flowers, 
to  stars  and  trees;  to  pierce  down  zvith  discrimination  into 
zvhat  is  right;  to  know  our  Father  and  the  One  whom  he  sent 
— this  is  a  program  of  a  world  Christian  and  one  in  which 
private-mindedness  may  be  permanently  submerged. 

Even  heretofore  hard-won  secrets  of  nature  have  been 
made  at  once  available  for  the  world,  and  advance  in  any 
nation  against  disease  has  not  been  hoarded  for  the  good  of 
one's  own  group.  We  are  thankful  for  the  professional  ethics 
which  holds  scientists  and  physicians  to  so  noble  a  standard. 
We  need  this  spirit  universalized,  and  made  even  more  con- 
scious and  directive.  It  is  only  by  our  working  together,  pool- 
ing results  and  organizing  for  effectiveness,  that  the  task 
which  God  has  opened  out  before  us  can  ever  be  accomplished. 
"We  can  do  it  if  we  will,"  said  the  men  of  the  haystack ;  "We 
can  do  it  and  we  will,"  said  a  later  world  Christian,  Samuel 
B.  Capen, 

VI 

Now  something  must  happen  to  the  Church  if  it  is  going 
even  to  look  at  this  mark  of  a  world  Christian.  What  is  the 
largest  appeal  that  comes  to  your  mind  when  the  Church  is 
mentioned?  For  many  it  is  a  summons  to  individual  salva- 
tion and  to  fall  in  with  a  program  that  will  extend  religious 
comfort  to  others  and  encourage  them  to  develop  individual 
Christian  virtues.  The  Church  sometimes  calls  to  other  aims, 
but  it  does  not  call  to  them  with  sufficient  authority  and  confi- 
dence and  conviction.  A  rallying-call  must  be-  sounded  for  a 
great  adventure.  Nothing  less  than  a  mighty  enterprise  will 
satisfy  the  souls  of  our  youth  today.  Girls  who  have  been 
driving  ambulances  in  France  will  not  be  satisfied  with  reading 
a  selection  once  a  month  in  a  missionary  society. 

But  suppose  it  were  universally  recognized,  that  request  for 
church  membership  meant  tenfold  more  eagerness  for  coopera- 
tive effort  for  earth's  richest  reconstruction  than  for  future 
individual  good,  then  people  would  not  be  fearing  whether 
the  Church  could  retain  the  interest  of  those  brave  lads  who 
have  faced  the  supreme  sacrifice.  Why  should  they  shrink 
up  until  they  possess  a  vision  no  larger  than  a  cozy,  little, 


[VII-c]       MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

comfortable,  but  competitive,  congregation  in  their  old  home 
town?  Is  there  no  great  program  to  which  they  can  conse- 
crate their  lives?  Are  they  simply  to  sink  back  unto  the 
old  self-centered  ends  ?  The  glory  of  a  Christ-filled  world 
must  be  set  forth  as  an  object  definite  enough  to  arouse  in- 
terest, and  appealing  enough  to  command  one's  utmost  loyalty. 
We  ought  to  be  able  to  go  to  the  man  most  indifferent  to  the 
Church  and  say:  "Here  is  a  big  thing — zvhy  are  yoii  not  in 
itf  We  are  working  for  the  enfranchisement  and  ennoble- 
ment of  every  single  human  life,  the  perfecting  of  human 
society  in  all  its  myriad  acti7jities  and  relationships,  the  trans- 
formation of  the  kingdoms  of  this  earth  until  they  have  be- 
come the  kingdom  of  our  God  and  his  Christ,  the  Christian- 
i:sation  of  all  life  everywhere." 

"What  are  Christians  put  into  the  world  for,  except 
to  do  the  impossible  in  the  strength  of  God?"  said  General 
S.  C.  Armstrong,  the  founder  of  Hampton  Institute.  The 
very  developments  which  have  accompanied  the  War  compel 
the  Church  to  face  a  parting  of  the  ways.  Surely  the  Church 
will  not  shrink  from  this  enlarged  program  as  too  great  for 
its  strength.  That  would  be  an  acknowledgment  to  the  world 
of  poverty  of  faith  in  the  living,  present  God,  whose  nature 
it  is  to  work  with  infinite  resource  through  man. 

TOPICS  FOR  DISCUSSION 

1.  Why  do  people  sacrifice  so  much  more  willingly  for 
patriotism  than  for  religion? 

2.  Why  will  people  spend  themselves  more  for  democracy 
than  for  Christian  Missions? 

3.  What  similarities  exist  between  the  highest  aims  of  war 
and  of  the  missionary  program? 

4.  How  would  you  formulate  the  justification  of  missionary 
work  amongst  obscure  or  dying  peoples? 

5.  What  attitude  would  you  take  toward  a  protest  such  as 
the  following:  '*0f  course  these  moral  and  social  reforms 
are  all  well  enough  in  their  way,  but  we  must  not  forget 
that  our  real  mission  is  to  preach  the  Gospel"? 

6.  Discuss  the  relation  of  the  task  of  evangelizing  (that  is, 
preaching  the  Gospel  to)  the  world  to  the  task  of  Christianiz- 
ing the  world.  Can  either  task  be  said  to  be  more  binding 
than  the  other? 

152 


COURAGE  FOR  WORLD  PURPOSES     [VII-c] 

7.  How  broad  do  you  think  Christ's  interests  would  be  if 
he  were  with  us  today  in  body? 

8.  What  part  did  Christ  give  men  in  the  Christianization 
of  the  world? 

9.  Is  it  worth  while  to  attempt  to  establish  throughout  the 
world  the  social  institution  called  "the  Church"?  Why? 
What  are  some  of  the  problems  and  difficulties  in  the  task? 

10.  What  arguments  would  you  use  with  a  person  who 
wanted  to  limit  his  program  to  his  own  home  community,  to 
lead  him  to  take  into  consideration  the  world? 

11.  Draft  a  statement  of  the  largest  and  most  comprehensive 
task  that  your  mind  can  grasp. 

12.  From  the  point  of  view  of  winning  the  whole  world  to 
the  democracy  of  God,  of  which  is  there  greater  need  today, 
foreign  missionaries,  or  men  and  women  who  stay  for  work 
in  America? 


153 


CHAPTER  Vin 

Readiness  to  Pay  the  Cost 

The  greatest  revelation  of  the  War  was  not  the  wickedness 
and  depravity  of  mankind,  but  its  unsuspected  capacity  for 
devotion  at  any  cost  to  ideals  and  duty  that  are  supreme. 
This  readiness  of  men  and  of  women  both  in  and  behind 
the  lines  to  undergo  sacrifice  was  surprising  and  inspiring. 
A  new  life  has  been  manifested.  Thousands  who  had  lived 
self-centered  lives  tasted  the  joy  of  abandon  to  utterly  un- 
selfish service,  even  unto  death.  Through  it  all  even  children 
learned  that  there  are  times  when  progress  requires  the  cheer- 
ful payment  of  a  cost. 

In  the  light  of  the  stupendous  sacrifices  crowded  into  each 
day  of  the  Great  War,  we  must  urge  the  claims  for  heroism 
in  the  more  normal  times  ahead.  The  declaration  of  peace 
still  leaves  multifarious  enemies  of  social  welfare  that  must 
be  fought  for  years  to  come  by  means  of  the  united  efforts  of 
men  and  women.  Every  Christian  citizen  of  the  world  must 
gird  himself  for  this  struggle  and  enter  the  contest  each  day 
with   fortitude  and  sacrifice. 

Eighth  Week,  First  Day:  The  Stigmata  of  Jesus 

In  labors  more  abundantly,  in  prisons  more  abundantly, 
in  stripes  above  measure,  in  deaths  oft.  Of  the  Jews  five 
times  received  I  forty  stripes  save  one.  Thrice  was  I 
beaten  with  rods,  once  was  I  stoned,  thrice  I  sufEered 
shipwreck,  a  night  and  a  day  have  I  been  in  the  deep; 
in  journeyings  often,  in  perils  of  rivers,  in  perils  of  rob- 
bers, in  perils  from  my  countrymen,  in  perils  from  the 
Gentiles,  in  perils  in  the  city,  in  perils  in  the  wilderness, 
in  perils  in  the  sea,  in  perils  among  false  brethren;  in 
labor  and  travail,  in  watchings  often,  in  hunger  and  thirst, 
in  fastings  often,  in  cold  and  nakedness.  Besides  those 
things    that    are    without,    there    is    that    which    presseth 

154 


READINESS  TO  PAY  THE  COST       [VIII-i] 

upon   me    daily,    anxiety   for   all    the    churches. — II    Cor. 
II ;  23-28. 

Violence,  exposure,  privation — Paul  knew  what  all  these 
were.  His  physical  sufferings  had  been  such  that  it  seemed 
that  he  was  "always  bearing  about  in  the  body  the  dying  of 
Jesus"  (II  Cor.  4:10).  But  they  were  accepted  as  part  of 
the  task.  Ordinarily  Paul  would  never  think  of  mentioning 
them,  for  where  Christ  and  the  Gospel  are  concerned  the 
sufferings  of  the  flesh  are  forgotten. 

Those  who  have  followed  Paul  in  world  ministry  have 
often  had  to  pay  the  price  of  service  with  their  bodies.  In 
the  early  days  of  work  in  Africa  a  large  portion  of  the  time 
and  strength  of  missionaries  was  taken  up  in  pushing  their 
way  through  interminable  jungles  and  pestiferous  swamps. 
As  a  result  they  died  prematurely  by  the  scores  and  hundreds, 
so  that  for  a  generation  or  two  on  an  average  every  convert 
cost  the  life  of  a  European.  Within  two  years  of  Alackay's 
arrival  in  Africa  two  of  his  original  party  of  eight  had  been 
massacred,  two  had  died  of  disease,  and  two  had  been  in- 
valided home.  The  first  worker  on  the  Gold  Coast  died 
within  six  months ;  his  two  successors  died  within  fourteen 
months ;  and  the  next  two  workers  died  within  one  month 
of  their  arrival.  In  Zanzibar  at  least  half  the  men  and  women 
sent  out  died  within  a  year  of  their  arrival  on  the  field.  In 
Japan  alone,  1,000  Catholic  missionaries  and  200,000  converts 
had  died  for  their  faith  before  modern  missions  had  started. 
The  average  martyr  death  of  Christians  from  the  West  was 
over  two  for  each  year  of  the  first  century  of  Protestant 
missions  in  China.  Who  would  imagine  that  Mexico  could 
count  its  martyrs  to  the  extent  of  eighty-four?  James  Han- 
nington's  message,  "Tell  the  King  that  I  purchase  the  road 
to  Uganda  with  my  life,  and  give  my  life  for  those  who 
kill  me,"  shows  the  spirit  that  has  dominated  untold  numbers, 
not  only  in  Africa  but  in  other  lands. 

But  death  is  ofttimes  easier  than  life.  Can  you  picture 
Xavier  striding  forward  for  twenty  hours  over  the  hot 
sands  to  relieve  the  Parava  Christians  of  Cape  Comorin? 
Or  turn  to  James  Gilmour  working  alone  among  the  nomad 
Buddhists  of  Mongolia.  Go  with  him  on  his  twenty-three 
mile  walk  through  the  desert,  with  swollen  and  bleeding  feet, 
in  order  to  make  possible  a  personal   conversation  with  the 

155 


[VIII-2]     MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

first  Mongol  who  had  shown  a  desire  to  be  a  Christian. 
Henry  Martyn's  words,  spoken  two  days  after  his  arrival  in 
Calcutta,  "Now  let  me  burn  out  for  God,"  were  prophecies 
of  his  seven  brief  but  fruitful  years  of  missionary  service. 

And  the  pioneer  converts  have  their  cost  to  pay  as  well. 
"There,  take  this  and  that,"  and  down  came  the  big  stick 
of  a  great-fisted  man  on  Prem  Das's  back.  The  angry  Hindu 
landlord  was  incensed  that  low-caste  Christians  should  be 
taught.  And  so  Prem  Das  went  away  bleeding  and  internally 
injured.  His  friends  advised  Prem  Das  to  sue  the  lordly 
Brahman.  Prosecute?  No,  on  the  contrary,  Christlike,  he 
forgave  his  persecutor,  and  returned  to  organize  the  school. 
Again  the  ire  of  the  landlord  led  to  a  beating,  and  he  was 
ordered  never  to  show  his  face  again.  But  Prem  Das  only 
went  to  his  friend,  the  missionary,  and  said :  "Sahib,  let  me 
have  a  dozen  first  Hindi  books.  I  am  going  to  open  the 
school  again,  and  we  are  going  to  keep  it  open."  "But  won't 
it  mean  more  beatings?"  "Perhaps,  but  this  is  Jesus'  work, 
and  I  am  a  Jesus  man  and,  beatings  or  no  beatings,  Jesus  can 
and  will  conquer  this  Brahman." 

Branded,  speared,  poisoned,  stoned,  crucified,  morally 
tempted,  ostracized — converts  have  had  to  meet  the  cost  of 
being  Christian. 

"From  earth's  wide  bounds,  from  ocean's  farthest  coast" 
come  thrilling  accounts  of  those  who  have  carried  about  in 
their  body  the  dying  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  If  a  Chinese  mail 
carrier  can  be  found  dead  on  the  Kien  Yang  road,  his  hands 
all  gashed  and  bleeding  because  he  had  clung  till  death  to  the 
little  bundle  of  foreign  letters  entrusted  to  his  care,  what 
about  the  faithfulness  of  a  man  whom  Christ  entrusts  with 
a  sacred  and  eternal  message  to  his  fellowmen?  Stanley 
said  Mackay  faced  death — "with  calm  blue  eyes  that  never 
winked."  May  God  help  us  to  face  the  hardships  in  our  path 
with  equal  fortitude  and  courage. 

Eighth  Week,  Second  Day:  The  Cost  of  Steward- 
ship 

Circumcised  the  eighth  day,  of  the  stock  of  Israel,  of 
the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  a  Hebrew  of  Hebrev^rs;  as  touching 
the  law,  a  Pharisee;  as  touching  zeal,  persecuting  the 
church;  as  touching  the  righteousness  which  is  in  the  law, 
found  blameless.     Howbeit  what  things  were  gain  to  me, 

156 


READINESS  TO  PAY  THE  COST       [VIII-2] 

these  have  I  counted  loss  for  Christ.  Yea  verily,  and  I 
count  all  things  to  be  loss  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowl- 
edge of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord:  for  whom  I  suffered  the 
loss  of  all  things,  and  do  count  them  but  refuse,  that  I 
may  gain   Christ. — Phil.  3:5-9. 

Stewardship  has  often  been  too  narrowly  interpreted  as 
applying  to  money  alone,  when  in  fact  we  are  trustees  of  life 
itself — our  time,  our  talents,  our  influence,  and  our  property. 
Paul  unhesitatingly  placed  all  these  things  at  the  service  of 
the  highest.  A  great  career  was  open  to  Paul  before  he 
started  for  Damascus.  He  names  points  of  inherited  privi- 
lege, as  well  as  matters  of  personal  choice,  which  had  already 
brought  him  repute  and  influence.  Those  things — and  the 
career  they  opened  out  for  hirii — he  counted  as  that  which  is 
thrown  to  the  dogs  or  the  leavings  of  the  table,  in  comparison 
with  the  appropriation  of  Christ  with  all  His  grace  and  glory. 
Stewardship  of  time  and  talent  and  life  may  lead  some  of 
us  to  lay  aside  careers  enticing  in  themselves,  but  which  are 
not  the  great  world  work  God  opens  out  before  us. 

But  to  all  of  us  an  enthusiasm  for  a  Christian  world  will 
mean  a  cost  in  that  form  of  extended  personality  which  we 
call  property.  It  will  mean  running  one's  business  with  an 
accounting  to  God.  It  will  mean  a  systematic,  intelligent  in- 
vestment for  God  of  all  surplus  beyond  one's  actual  need. 

We  have  had  great  leaders  in  this  sense  of  trusteeship  both 
at  home  and  abroad.  Livingstone  shortly  after  his  conversion 
wrote :  "Feeling  that  the  salvation  of  men  ought  to  be  the 
chief  desire  and  aim  of  every  Christian,  I  resolved  that  I 
would  give  to  the  cause  of  missions  all  that  I  might  earn 
beyond  what  I  required  for  bare  subsistence."  Later  he  made 
a  declaration  even  more  explicit:  "I  will  place  no  value  on 
anything  I  have  or  may  possess,  except  in  relation  to  the 
Kingdom  of  God.  If  anything  will  advance  the  interests  of 
that  Kingdom,  it  shall  be  given  away  or  kept,  only  as  by  giv- 
ing away  or  keeping  it,  I  shall  most  promote  the  glory  of 
Him  to  whom  I  owe  all  my  hopes  in  time  and  eternity." 
William  Carey  kept  for  himself  and  his  poor  relatives  a  tenth 
only  of  his  income,  and  he  and  his  two  companions  paid  back 
twenty-fold  all  that  they  had  ever  received  from  their  society. 
Cyrus  Hamlin  devoted  to  his  Master  all  the  profit  of  his 
genius.  With  a  surplus  of  $25,000  he  built  thirteen  churches 
for  the  American  Board  in  various  parts  of  the  Turkish  Em- 

157 


[VIII-3]    MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

pire.  He  turned  into  the  work  of  the  Board  more  money  than 
he  received  as  salary  during  the  entire  period  of  his  service. 
In  fact  practically  all  missionaries  definitely  relinquish  all 
claim  to  funds  earned  beyond  their  living  wage.  Thus 
■doctors,  educators,  and  missionary  specialists  of  various  kinds 
are  annually  turning  over  to  Board  treasuries  every  dollar 
above  their  modest  salaries.  It  is  beginning  to  dawn  on 
Christians  that  this  kind  of  cost  is  not  a  matter  of  geography. 
Why  should  it  be  applied  to  those  who  go  abroad,  and  not  to 
those  who  stay  at  home? 

Christian  converts  have  shown  marvelous  strength  of 
character  in  the  way  in  which  they  have  unhesitatingly  laid 
aside  inviting  careers  for  the  sake  of  Christ,  and  have  paid 
the  price  involved.  Let  us  take  Paul  Sawayama  as  a  type  of 
many.  He  was  one  of  the  early  students  from  Japan  to  be 
educated  in  this  country.  The  Mikado's  Government  in  1876 
offered  every  inducement  in  the  way  of  salary  to  young  men 
returning  from,  the  West.  Influential  relatives  and  friends 
were  eager  to  have  him  enter  this  open  door  to  luxury.  But 
Paul  Sawayama  had  formed  the  vision  of  a  living  Japanese 
Church.  He  wanted  to  instil  into  it  such  a  spirit  of  growth 
and  independence  that  it  would  be  free  from  slavish,  feeble 
leaning  on  foreign  support.  He  remembered  God's  promise 
to  those  who  seek  first  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteous- 
ness, and  refused  the  career  which  would  have  given  him 
hundreds,  for  the  shepherding  of  a  little  congregation  that 
could  pay  him  but  seven  dollars  a  month.  But  Paul  Sawayama 
still  lives  on  in  the  independent  spirit  of  the  Japanese  Church 
— a  spirit  which  he  did  much  to  form.  With  a  world  whose 
needs  demand  the  mobilization  of  every  Christian  force,  what 
of  prestige  or  career  or  funds  or  leisure  are  you  counting  as 
"refuse"  for  the  joy  and  privilege  of  working  for  deeper 
values  ? 


Eighth  Week,  Third  Day:  The  Price  of  Maintaining 
Spiritual  Sensitiveness 

And  every  man  that  striveth  in  the  games  exerciseth 
self-control  in  all  things.  Now  they  do  it  to  receive  a 
corruptible  crown;  but  we  an  incorruptible.  I  therefore 
so  run,  as  not  uncertainly;  so  fight  I,  as  not  beating  the 
air:  but  I  buffet  my  body,  and  bring  it  into  bondage:  lest 

158 


READINESS  TO  PAY  THE  COST       [VIII-4] 

by  any  means,   after   that   I  have   preached  to   others,    I 
myself  should  be  rejected. — I  Cor.  9:  25-27. 

The  soul  has  its  own  great  warfare  if  it  is  going  to  keep 
fit  for  its  world  task.  Paul  knew  what  it  was  to  battle,  and 
he  likened  the  Christian's  life  over  and  over  again  to  a  war- 
fare (Rom.  13:12,  13;  II  Cor.  6:7;  Eph.  6:11-17;  I  Thess. 
5:8;  I  Tim.  i:  18;  II  Tim.  2:3,  4). 

Nowadays,  apart  from  the  recent  war,  love's  cost  is  not 
usually  physical  death,  nor  is  it  accomplished  by  one  supreme 
act  of  self-sacrifice.  It  is  rather  a  series  of  small  renuncia- 
tions or  struggles  for  victory.  It  is  a  dying  daiiy  (Luke 
9:23),  holding  in  control  our  ambitions  and  secret  thoughts 
to  the  end  of  absolute  and  perfect  service.  Any  one  of  these 
things  may  in  themselves  seem  insignificant,  but  those  who 
have  tried  to  be  faithful  and  constant  in  this  discipline  know 
that  the  metaphor  of  crucifying  the  flesh  with  its  passions 
and  lusts  (Gal.  5:24)  is  by  no  means  too  strong. 

Many  times  on  the  mission  field  a  missionary  can  get  no 
more  time  with  a  hungry  inquirer  than  Jesus  had  with  the 
woman  at  the  well.  Such  experiences  make  one  want  to 
keep  his  life  at  a  high  level,  so  as  to  be  ready.  If  those  few 
minutes  are  to  be  the  only  time  that  the  given  person  is  likely 
ever  to  have  with  an  ambassador  of  Jesus  Christ,  one  would 
want  to  say  something  living  and  vital,  that  will  change  life 
as  Jesus  changed  that  woman's  at  the  well.  But  why  put  it 
off  in  Africa  and  India?  There  are  people  touching  you 
every  day,  who  need  just  what  your  representatives  go  to 
give  to  other  lands.  A  world  Christian  will  see  the  signifi- 
cance of  opportunity  in  each  little,  separate  contact,  whether 
it  is  in  China  or  at  home,  just  as  much  as  the  Food  Con- 
servator could  see  significance  for  a  world  war  in  the  leavings 
on  a  child's  plate.  The  Kingdom's  battlefront  is  where  you 
are,  and  demands  the  price  of  vigilance  in  maintaining  your- 
self at  your  very  best. 

Eighth    Week,    Fourth    Day:    The     Price    of    a 
Burdened  Heart 

Besides  those  things  that  are  without,  there  is  that 
which  presseth  upon  me  daily,  anxiety  for  all  the  churches. 
Who  is  weak,  and  I  am  not  weak?  who  is  caused  to 
stumble,  and  I  burn  not? — II  Cor,  11:28,  29. 

159 


[VIII-4]     MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

But  we  were  gentle  in  the  midst  of  you,  as  when  a 
nurse  cherisheth  her  own  children:  even  so,  being  affec- 
tionately desirous  of  you,  we  were  well  pleased  to  impart 
unto  you,  not  the  gospel  of  God  only,  but  also  our  own 
souls,  because  ye  were  become  very  dear  to  us. — I  Thess. 
2:7,  8. 

Paul's  solicitude  for  his  converts  was  not  unlike  that  of 
a  mother.  He  addresses  the  untoward  Galatians  as,  "My 
little  children,  of  whom  I  am  again  in  travail  until  Christ 
be  formed  in  you."  '"Now  we  live,"  he  writes  to  the 
Thessalonians,  "if  ye  stand  fast  in  the  Lord"  (I  Thess. 
3:8).  "Ye  are  in  our  hearts,"  he  cries  to  the  Corinthians, 
"to  live  together — and  to  die  together."  Note  the  passionate 
words  of  the  twenty-ninth  verse  above — "Who  is  weak  and  I 
am  not  weak?  Who  is  made  to  stumble  and  I  burn  not?" 
In  such  wonderful  ways  Paul  identified  himself  with  others. 

But  some  will  say,  "Does  this  mean  that  I  must  always  live 
at  a  high  tension  and  never  have  any  of  the  joy  of  life?" 
Well,  Jesus  did  not  give  this  impression  to  those  who  were 
constantly  with  him.  They  seemed  most  impressed  with  his 
joy.  Nor  do  missionaries  give  the  impression  of  being  more 
oppressively  serious  than  other  people ;  you  could  not  pick 
them  out  as  being  long-faced  beyond  all  others. 

And  yet  there  were  times  when  Jesus  cried,  "How  often 
would  I  have  gathered  thy  children  together,  even  as  a  hen 
gathereth  her  own  brood  under  her  wings!"  (Luke  13:34). 
Similarly,  his  follower,  the  dying  Xavier,  checked  before 
China's  closed  doors  and  inaccessible  interior,  cried,  "O  rock, 
rock,  when  wilt  thou  open?" 

Certainly  anyone  with  the  slightest  spiritual  sensitiveness 
must  have  times  when  the  heart  is  made  very  heavy  by  heathen 
surroundings.  But  what  about  the  place  right  where  we  are? 
H  we  were  not  so  callous  and  all  too  blind  would  not  we  also 
have  our  times  of  "anxiety  for  all  the  churches"?  Would 
there  be  no  situation  which  would  draw  forth  tender  solici- 
tude, as  a  mother  with  her  oivn  children? 

When  something  comes  into  our  lives  that  came  into  Paul's 
we,  too,  shall  have  our  times  when  we  shall  look  out  upon 
the  world's  needs  with  unspeakable  pain.  The  great  question 
for  us  will  then  be — how  can  we  recover  them,  teach  them, 
win  them?  We,  too,  shall  know  what  it  is  to  have  a  passion 
like  Paul's. 

160 


READINESS  TO  PAY  THE  COST       [VIII-5] 

Eighth  Week,  Fifth  Day :  The  Cost  of  Prayer 

And  in  the  morning,  a  great  while  before  day,  he  rose 
up  and  went  out,  and  departed  into  a  desert  place,  and 
there  prayed. — Mark  i :  35.  ' 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  these  days,  that  he  went  out  into 
the  mountain  to  pray;  and  he  continued  all  night  in  prayer 
to  God. — Luke  6: 12. 

For  many  people,  almost  any  cost  is  easier  to  pay  than  that 
of  prayer.  It  is  the  highest  effort  the  human  spirit  can  make; 
it  is  the  putting  forth  of  vital  energy ;  and  many  do  not  love 
enough  to  pay  the  price.  The  formation  and  the  practice  of 
the  habit  of  prayer  in  world  service  is  something  that  is 
possible  behind  every  closed  door.  But  how  we  shrink  from 
the  investment  of  time,  of  concentration,  and  of  sympathy 
that  it  requires !  Many  would  find  it  easier  to  give  their 
bodies  to  be  burned,  or  to  bestow  all  their  goods  to  feed  the 
poor,  than  to  engage  in  a  continuous,  intelligent,  prevailing 
prayer  life. 

But  when  we  turn  to  Jesus,  we  find  an  example  that  draws 
us  on  to  a  life  of  prayer.  In  him  Ave  see  one  whose  work 
was  conceived,  accomplished,  and  conserved  in  communion 
with  God.  His  great  followers,  too,  have  been  great  in  prayer. 
Judson,  finishing  his  Burmese  Bible,  took  up  the  last  page 
and,  on  his  knees,  dedicated  it  to  God  in  prayer.  James  Gil- 
mour,  when  he  caught  the  first  glimpse  of  the  land  for  which 
he  was  to  give  his  life,  a  martyr  missionary,  knelt  down  and 
gave  thanks  to  God  for  a  redeemed  Mongolia.  "I  lay  in  tears," 
wrote  Henry  Martyn,  "for  the  unfortunate  natives  of  this 
country."  Dr.  John  R.  Mott,  out  of  his  wide  experience 
and  after  special  inquiries  into  the  sources  of  the  spiritual 
movements  that  are  doing  most  to  vitalize  and  transform 
individuals  and  communities,  witnesses :  "The  workers  and 
leaders  who  have  accomplished  most  in  extending  and  build- 
ing up  the  Kingdom  of  God  have  been  those  who  gave  to 
prayer  for  others  and  for  interests  outside  of  their  own  lives 
the  foremost  place  in  the  use  of  their  time  and  strength.  .  .  . 
.  At  times  it  has  been  difficult  to  discover  the  hidden  spring, 
but  invariably  where  I  have  had  the  time  and  patience  to  do 
so,  I  have  found  it  in  an  intercessory  prayer-life  of  great 
reality."^ 


Intercessors,  the  Primary  Need,"  p.  2. 
161 


[VIII-6]    MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

Refusal  to  pay  the  cost  by  the  Church  behind  the  lines, 
means  defeat  in  the  front-line  trenches.  We  are  busy  with 
federations,  councils,  and  continuation  committees ;  with  union 
movements,  surveys,  and  the  mapping  out  of  fields  and  re- 
sources. Into  these  things  seriousness  and  strength  of  pur- 
pose is  being  put,  and  this  marks  a  real  advance.  But  not 
until  the  Church  learns  to  pray  with  an  intensity  and  devotion 
more  characteristic  of  its  work,  will  the  Kingdom  come  with 
power.  It  is  possible  even  for  a  five  talent  man  to  wrap  one 
of  those-  talents  up  in  a  napkin  and"  lay  it  aside  from  use. 
How  about  the  capacity  for  prayer  that  God  has  given  you? 

Eighth  Week,  Sixth  Day :  The  Sobering  Alternative 

Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  Except  a  grain  of  wheat 
fall  into  the  earth  and  die,  it  abideth  by  itself  alone;  but 
if  it  die,  it  beareth  much  fruit.  He  that  loveth  his  life 
loseth  it;  and  he  that  hateth  his  life  in  this  world  shall 
keep  it  unto  life  eternal.  If  any  man  serve  me,  let  him 
follow  me;  and  where  I  am,  there  shall  also  my  servant 
be:  if  any  man  serve  me,  him  will  the  Father  honor. — 
John  12:  24-26. 

One  may  refuse  to  pay  the  price  of  love;  and  Jesus  points 
out  the  inevitable  result — fruitlessness.  Like  a  grain  of  wheat 
which  may  be  eaten  or  may  be  sown,  so  our  lives  may  be 
used  for  present,  temporary  enjoyment  and  benefit,  or,  fore- 
going self-centered  profit,  may  fall  in  the  furrow  which  alone 
yields  the  hundred-fold  fruitage. 

Horace  Tracy  Pitkin  did  not  hesitate  at  the  choice,  either 
for  himself  or  for  his  little  son.  When,  during  the  Boxer 
Rebellion,  with  wife  and  child  far  ofif  in  America,  murder 
and  foul  deeds  had  at  last  come  to  his  very  door,  just  before 
his  tragic  martyrdom,  he  called  Lao-man,  the  faithful,  to  his 
side  and  gave  one  parting  message :  "Lao-man,"  he  said,  "tell 
the  mother  of  little  Horace  to  tell  Horace  that  his  father's 
last  wish  was  that  when  he  is  twenty-five  years  of  age,  he 
shohld  come  to  China  as  a  missionary." 

Spring  after  spring  men  sow  their  choicest  grain,  instead 
of  selling  it  in  the  market,  because  they  know  that  except  it 
die  it  abideth  alone ;  but  if  it  die  it  beareth  much  fruit.  Ox- 
ford and  Cambridge  men  did  this  in  the  Battle  of  the  Marne. 
Vacant  places   on   farms,   in    factories,   and   in   college   halls 

162 


READINESS  TO  PAY  THE  COST       [VIII-7] 

show  that  America  made  the  great  choice  too.  Sacrifice,  self- 
surrender,  death  are  the  conditions  of  the  highest  Hfe;  selfish- 
ness means  abiding  alone.  The  question  faces  us — What  of 
my  life?  Am  I  consuming  it  for  myself?  Or  am  I  sowing 
it  deep  down  for  the  increase  a  hundred-fold?  To  spend 
one's  life  for  the  highest  cause  that  comes  one's  way  is — 
as  some  one  puts  it — to  fulfil  life's  highest  destiny,  be  the 
years  few  or  many. 

Eighth  Week,  Seventh  Day:  Cost,  Continuous  and 
Supreme 

To  wit,  that  God  was  in  Christ  reconciling  the  world 
unto  himself,  not  reckoning  unto  them  their  trespasses, 
and  having  committed  unto  us  the  word  of  reconciliation. 
— II  Cor.  5:  19. 

For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  be- 
gotten Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  him  should  not 
perish,  but  have  eternal  life. — John  3: 16. 

What  is  it  costing  God  these  days?  What  has  it  cost 
God  in  the  past  to  bring  us  even  where  we  are?  W^ho  would 
dare  to  answer?  And  yet  we  are  catching  glimpses  of  the 
heart  of  God.  As  we  suffer,  not  because  of  wrong  that  we 
have  done,  but  that  peace  or  justice  or  progress  may  ensue, 
we  gain  an  insight  into  the  experience  of  a  Christ-like  God. 
Hosea  found  a  new  God  through  his  patient  suffering  for  the 
regeneration  of  his  unfaithful  wife.  America,  through  her 
gift  of  her  best  young  manhood  in  the  War,  through  he;: 
vicarious  suffering  to  bring  about  a  world  of  better  relation- 
ships, will  understand  more  clearly  the  cost  of  God-like  love. 

Man  has  not  always  believed  in  God's  solidarity  with  him  in 
all  experience.  God  has  been  thought  of  as  far  off,  watching 
from  outside  the  drama  of  history,  only  occasionally  making 
a  miraculous  thrust  into  human  affairs.  Slowly  and  all  too 
inadequately  we  are  realizing,  however,  the  significance  of 
God's  immanence  in  history.  We  see  him  not  merely  as  a 
sj^mpathetic  and  well-disposed  onlooker,  but  as  an  actor  in 
the  affairs  of  men.  Above  all  he  is  the  One  who  cares,  and 
there  is  no  suffering  of  ours  in  which  he  does  HOt  share. 
"In  all  their  afilictioh  he  was  afflicted"  (Isa.  63:9). 

Why  did  God  thus  enter  our  lives  of  sin  and  failure?  Why 
was  the  cross  ?     The  answer  is  that  God  is  involved  in  his 

163 


[VIII-c]     MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

inmost  life  with  man,  in  order  that  man  may  be  made  whole. 
Good  is  contagious  as  well  as  evil.  Just  as  we  are  involved 
one  with  the  other  in  the  consequences  of  sin,  so  there  is  a 
solidarity  between  man  and  man,  and  between  man  and  God, 
that  makes  available  for  others  the  wholesome  effects  of 
good. 

The  cross  gives  us  eyes  to  see  God's  will  to  pay  the  cost  of 
love.  As  deepening  experience  reveals  to  us  the  measure 
of  that  cost,  we  realize  that  such  a  giving  can  be  answered 
only  by  a  love  in  kind.  A  gratitude  that  does  not  cost  seems 
all  too  inadequate.  Jesus  tells  us  we  must  enter  into  God's 
experience  of  the  cross  each  day.  No  other  reconstructive 
force  is  adequate  to  the  perfecting  of  a  world. 


COMMENT  FOR  THE  WEEK 


A  generation  that  has  paid  the  price  of  loyalty  to  the  cause 
of  world  democracy  will  not  respect  a  church  that  fails  to  pay 
the  price  of  loyalty  to  her  goal — the  democracy  of  God.  We 
certainly  shall  gain  nothing  by  representing  the  demands  of 
Christianity  in  small  terms.  The  cost  of  being  a  world 
Christian  is  very  real  and  very  great.  The  Church  has  made 
a  vast  mistake  if  she  has  permitted  us  to  think  otherwise. 
Jesus  never  belittled  the  intensity  of  the  struggle  in  which 
his  followers  were  engaged,  nor  did  he  make  light  of  the  cost 
of  discipleship.  He  plainly  said  that  the  servant  need  not 
expect  to  fare  better  than  the  Master.  "Ye  shall  be  hated 
of  all  men  for  my  name's  sake.  .  .  .  H  they  have  called  the 
master  of  the  house  Beelzebub,  how  much  more  them  of  his 
household?"  (Matt.  10:22,  25).  We  are  only  beginning  to 
glimpse  the  price  that  must  be  paid,  in  order  to  adjust  human 
relationships  to  a  thoroughly  Christian  standard. 

But  we  have  been  learning  in  the  War  that  selfishness  is 
not  the  supreme  instinct  in  humanity.  Ask  the  soldiers  why 
they  left  our  country  to  fight  in  the  War,  and  they  will  tell 
you  that  it  was  for  world  democracy,  to  free  humanity  from 
militarism,  for  the  integrity  of  all  nations — spiritual  reasons, 
every  one.  It  was  the  idealism  of  uiiselfish  service  that 
mobilized  America's  energy  in  the  War.  Leaders  in  the  suf- 
frage movement  tell  us  that  what  women  want  is  not  protec- 

164 


READINESS  TO  PAY  THE  COST       [VIII-c] 

tion  and  segregation  from  the  world's  dark  tasks,  but  the 
chance  to  share  the  burdens  of  thought  and  toil  equally  with 
men.  And  so  Christ  was  a  truer  reader  of  hearts  than,  alas, 
his  followers  have  often  been,  when  he  based  his  appeal 
for  men  and  service  upon  the  deeper,  heroic,  unselfish  motives 
in  human  nature,  rather  than  the  superficial  love  of  ease  and 
pleasure  and  success. 

Garibaldi,  also,  knew  men  and  summoned  young  Italy  to  the 
fight  with  these  burning  words :  "I  do  not  offer  pay,  pro- 
visions, or  quarters ;  I  offer  hunger,  thirst,  forced  marches, 
battles,  and  death."  Said  Professor  Denney  at  Edinburgh,  in 
1910 :  "When  a  voice  like  that  is  uttered  in  the  Church  by 
men  who  have  the  right  to  utter  it,  then  we  can  be  sure  that 
the  thin  ranks  will  fill  up  again  and  our  King  go  forth  con- 
quering and  to  conquer." 

In  the  perfecting  of  a  world  if  we  would  move  men  deeply 
we,  too,  must  appeal  to  heroic,  and  not  to  merely  selfish, 
motives.  In  a  day  when  men  are  making  inconceivable  sacri- 
fices for  their  ideals  of  justice  and  democracy,  the  only  way 
for  the  Church  to  appeal  at  all  is  by  presenting  a  more  compre- 
hensive cause  requiring  still  greater  devotion.  In  other  words, 
the  Church  must  return  for  its  regeneration  to  the  kingdom 
vision  and  sacrificial  devotion  of  its  Founder.  The  Church 
must  be  militant.  There  must  be  virility  in  the  venture.  We 
must  approach  our  youth  not  with  the  slogan,  "Safety  first," 
but  with  the  call  to  risk  all  in  fresh  paths  of  honor,  of  glory, 
and  of  duty.  For  the  Christianization  of  the  individual,  as 
well  as  of  the  whole  social  order  on  our  globe,  will  call  for 
more  sustained  endeavor,  more  superhuman  energy,  deeper 
sacrifice  than  the  War  in  Europe  drew  upon.  The  time  has 
fully  passed — if  in  fact  it  ever  existed — for  the  Church  to 
win  our  youth  by  a  soft  and  easy  call  to  service. 

II 

As  we  look  over  the  path  by  which  world  progress  has 
come  it  would  seem  that  we  must  recognize  the  indispcnsablc- 
iiess  of  sacrifice.  Whoever  really  undertakes  the  task  of 
turning  the  ideal  of  the  democracy  of  God  into  reality  will 
suffer.  There  is  often,  of  course,  that  inevitable  first  cost 
of  separation  from  those  you  love  for  service  overseas.  When 
Cyrus  Hamlin  informed  his  mother  that  he  had  decided  to 
respond   to  God's  call  to  go  abroad   for   service,   she  broke 

165 


[VIII-c]    MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

down  and  wept  as  he  had  never  seen  her  weep  before.  But 
when  she  recovered  her  self-control,  it  was  with  a  willingness 
to  pay  the  cost:  "Cyrus,  I  have  always  expected  it,  and  I 
have  not  a  word  to  say,  although  I  would  have  been  so  happy 
if  I  could  have  had  my  youngest  son  with  me,"  Hundreds 
upon  hundreds  have  been  the  mothers  and  the  sons  who  have 
not  rebelled  at  Christ's  stern  words :  "He  that  loveth  father 
or  mother  more  than  me  is  not  worthy  of  me"  (Matt.  lo:  Z7)- 

We  rejoice  at  China's  progress,  but  we  need  our  imagination 
quickened  to  see  what  it  has  cost.  Behind  this  progress  we 
can  see  Morrison  working  in  his  cellar  with  darkened  win- 
dows. At  times  he  is  so  ill  he  can  only  drag  himself  across 
the  narrow  room.  The  books  upon  which  the  pioneer  trans- 
lator is  working  are  piled  about  him,  while  the  one  Chinese 
helper  that  he  has  been  able  to  secure  carries  a  phial  of  poison 
ever  with  him,  that  he  may  end  his  life  in  case  he  is  tortured 
for  teaching  the  foreign-devil.  Behind  this  progress  you  can 
also  see  old  Gutzlaf,  disguised  as  a  native  coolie,  and  hired 
out  as  a  cook  on  a  Chinese  junk,  shrinking  ashore  under 
cover  of  the  darkness  to  distribute  the  first  printed  word  for 
Christ  from  port  to  port  on  China's  shores.  Back  of  the 
progress  also  is  the  blood  of  noble  martyrs.  Not  alone  those 
from  foreign  soil,  but  thousands  of  Chinese  Christians  have 
laid  down  their  lives.  Over  large  districts  of  China  only  two 
per  cent  recanted  when  the  death  test  came  during  the  Boxer 
Rebellion.  What  China  is  today  is  in  large  part  due  to 
the  firmness  with  which  her  Christian  children  bore  ruin, 
torture,  and  death  in  order  to  retain  the  Pearl  of  great  price. 

Less  dramatic,  but  no  less  significant,  are  the  burdens  to  be 
borne  by  courageous  souls  who  must  bear  the  brunt  of  intro- 
ducing many  a  social  change.  It  still  takes  courage  in  China 
to  leave  a  daughter's  feet  unbound.  How  far  dare  one  follow 
Western  ways  in  seeking  to  establish  the  new  type  of  Chris- 
tian home?  How  much  obedience  is  still  due  to  parents? 
What  are  one's  responsibilities  to  poor  relatives? 

And  when  in  these  days  every  one  is  reading  with  more 
or  less  intelligence  about  Armenia,  Kurdistan,  and  Persia,  we 
may  well  recall  how  one  hundred  years  ago  Smith  and  Dwight, 
clothed  to  resemble  Turkish  merchants,  in  native  costumes  and 
with  faces  stained  with  the  juices  of  a  berry,  blazed  a  trail 
through  these  lands  for  civilization.  It  was  only  in  secret 
by  the  light  of   their   evening  camp   fire  that   these  pioneer 

i66 


READINESS  TO  PAY  THE  COST       [VIII-c] 

missionaries  were  able  to  open  up  for  us  in  authoritative 
writings  the  heart  of  the  Turkish  Empire. 

In  quite  another  reahn,  our  immunity  from  many  tropical 
diseases  has  been  purchased  by  the  dearly-bought  experience 
of  hundreds  who  have  gone  down  before  these  unconquered 
scourges.  Many  a  robust  constitution  broke  under  the  fevers 
of  the  tropics  and  many  a  white  tombstone  was  raised  in 
Africa  and  in  the  Orient  before  the  problems  of  sanitation 
and  adaptation  of  the  white  man's  life  to  the  tropics  were 
conquered.  Today,  however,  there  are  directions  for  each 
country  which  safeguard  the  health  of  the  missionary  as  he 
makes  his  transition  from  one  hemisphere  to  another. 

Think  also  of  the  almost  superhuman  toil  that  has  gone  into 
the  reduction  of  languages  to  writing.  Furthermore,  the  wis- 
dom of  a  generation  of  students  has  been  gathered  into  a 
score  of  language  schools,  so  that  the  cost  of  conquering  a 
foreign  tongue  has  been  immensely  lessened.  The  modern 
world  worker  enters  into  a  vast  intellectual  heritage  in  the 
way  of  knowledge  of  customs  and  of  the  results  of  the  com- 
parative study  of  religions,  because  of  the  painstaking  re- 
searches of  those  who  have  gone  before. 


Ill 

One  might  as  well  recognize  from  the  start  that  the  business 
of  becoming  a  Christian  is  most  difficiilt.  Not  the  intellectual 
acceptance  of  certain  explanations  of  theology  hard  to  under- 
stand and  therefore  to  believe,  but  the  task  of  translating  the 
spirit  and  principles  of  Jesus  into  the  daily  life — that  is  the 
supreme  challenge  to  each  of  us.  It  will  cause  us  to  give  up 
many  a  thing  which  habit  or  custom  has  let  others  feel  is 
perfectly  right.  "We  know,"  says  a  wise  leader  of  the  Church, 
"how  unabashed  selfishness  is  in  the  world  and  in  the  church. 
We  know  how'  many  people  there  are  who  are  lovers  of 
pleasure  rather  than  lovers  of  God,  people  who  resent  it  as 
a  kind  of  insult  that  they  should  be  asked  to  give  up  anything, 
people  who  will  not  part  with  money,  who  will  not  give  up 
their  week-ends,  who  will  not  come  under  any  kind  of  obliga- 
tion that  fetters  their  liberty  so  that  they  can  do  something 
regularly  for  the  good  of  the  church,  people  who  will  not 
sacrifice  an  atom  of  their  spare  time  or  of  their  opportunities 
for  mental  culture  or  even  for  self-indulgence.     They  simply 

167 


[VIII-c]     MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

will  not  do  it,  and  they  refuse  even  to  look  at  the  idea  that 
it  should  be  done  seriously."" 

To  many  people  the  cost  of  discipleship  will  be  the  willing- 
ness to  accept  the  challenge  of  the  commonplace,  to  do  the 
common  thing — yet  do  it  in  Jesus'  way.  These  are  days 
when  one  has  been  thinking  of  heroism  in  terms  of  physical 
death,  or  of  one  single  supreme  act  of  sacrifice.  And  many 
men  and  women  who  volunteered  for  non-military  service 
in  France  were  sorely  tested  by  the  drudgery  of  their  tasks. 
Stationed  in  some  small  town  far  from  the  firing-line,  without 
the  stimulus  of  travel  and  excitement,  asked  to  sweep  out  a 
hut — even  though  he  was  a  brilliant  Ph.D. — many  a  volunteer 
was  caught  in  the  deadly  monotony  of  the  unspectacular,  and 
found  himself  hardly  equal  to  the  price.  Many  here  in 
America  chafed  under  the  burden  of  a  hidden  post.  It  would 
be  easy,  they  thought,  to  put  on  a  uniform  and  go  to  France. 
Leading  a  forlorn  hope  in  battle,  saving  the  guns,  creeping 
up  the  hillside  under  a  heavy  rifle-fire,  laying  down  one's  life 
quickly  in  a  moment  of  enthusiasm,  requires  one  kind  of  hero- 
ism. No  less  heroic  is  the  facing  day  by  day  for  thirty 
years  the  dangers  of  a  deadly  climate,  the  warding-off  of 
disease  and  death  under  scorching  heat  and  chilly  cold,  and 
the  undergoing  of  discomforts  month  after  month  as  many 
a  missionary  has  done.  These  avenues  for  commonplace 
heroism  are  still  open  to  tho.se  who  are  willing  to  enlist  for 
service  in  non-Christian  lands.  All,  however,  must  be  ready 
for  the  steady  cost  of  the  Christian  life  in  doing  homespun 
work,  in  accepting  the  humble  task,  in  a  series  of  small  re- 
nunciations, each  in  itself  apparently  insignificant. 

For  the  exceptional  man,  the  cost  is  from  a  different  angle. 
He  is  tempted  to  use  his  exceptional  ability  to  win  for  him- 
self a  place  where  he  will  be  freed  from  strife  and  struggle. 
If,  through  the  possession  of  ten  talents,  he  could  lay  his 
burdens  on  the  poor  one-talent  members  of  society,  he  has 
felt  it  legitimate  to  do  so.  But  Christ  stands  before  him, 
challenging  him  to  choose  the  place  marked  by  hardships, 
and  to  win  through  greatest  service  the  greatest  recognition. 

"Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  How  many 
shrink  from  the  cost  that  this  would  involve,  or  frankly  be- 
lieve it  quite   impracticable !     "What !"  one  says,   "treat  men 

2  James  Denney,  in  "Report  of  World's  Missionary  Conference,  1910,"  Vol. 
IX,  pp.  327,  328. 

168 


READINESS  TO  PAY  THE  COST       [VIII-c] 

as  brothers?  Love  them?  Why,  three-quarters  of  mankind 
are  incapable  of  understanding  love  and  will  take  advantage 
of  what  they  consider  weakness.  Our  servants  would  despise 
us,  our  employes  and  competitors  would  rob  us,  and  inferior 
races  would  rebel  against  necessary  authority.  The  world 
would  be  turned  upside  down  and  no  property  or  honor  or 
life  would  be  safe  for  a  single  day."  Jesus  neither  ignores 
nor  denies  this.  "It  may  be  so,"  he  says,  "it  will  be  so  some- 
times ;  it  was  so  with  me."  Love  sometimes  has  no  material 
defense,  and  while  mankind  remains  as  it  is,  love  may  be 
imposed  upon.  "Behold,  I  send  you  forth  as  sheep  in  the 
midst  of  wolves"  (Matt.  io:i6).  "In  this  world  ye  have 
tribulation:  but  be  of  good  cheer*;  I  have  overcome  the 
world"  (John  16:33).  "Some  of  you  shall  they  cause  to  be 
put  to  death.  And  ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  men  for  my  name's 
sake.  And  not  a  hair  of  your  head  shall  perish"  (Luke  21 : 
16-18).  Jesus  does  not  obscure  the  fact  that  discipleship  may 
mean  death — a  death,  however,  that  is  the  open  door  to  life. 

IV 

Does  the  Church  sense  the  cost  it  must  be  ready  to  meet? 
Listen  to  Bhataricharya,  an  Indian  student  in  the  second 
largest  city  of  our  land.  One  day,  walking  with  an  American 
friend,  he  happened  to  remark  that  he  haped  India  would 
become  Christian.  Knowing  that  he  was  a  Hindu,  this  state- 
ment surprised  his  friend  and  he  asked  why  he  wanted 
India  to  becom.e  Christian.  It  turned  out  that  this  Indian 
had  come  to  the  conclusion  from  his  university  studies  that 
religion  in  general  was  economically  bad  for  a  country ;  that 
a  land  would  be  better  off  without  any  religion ;  but  that  if 
India  must  have  a  religion  it  would  be  best  for  it  to  have 
Christianity,  "because  it  costs  so  little."  That  was  the  im- 
pression made  on  this  keen  foreign  student  by  church  life  as 
he  saw  it. 

We  were  staggered  at  the  colossal  internecine  strife  airfongst 
the  nations.  But  we  do  well  to  remind  ourselves  that  part 
of  the  responsibility  for  conditions  that  could  make  war 
possible  rests  upon  a  divided  Church.  To  attain  reunion  will 
involve  a  real  cost.  Manifest  narrowness  and  ancient  preju- 
dices must  be  laid  aside.  Each  sect  has  nursed  some  real 
and  precious  experience — an  expeiience  that  all  should  have — 

169 


[VIII-c]     MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

but  in  holding  to  its  grain  of  truth  it  has  too  often  been 
bHnd  to  the  grains  of  truth  that  others  have.  What  each  one 
needs  is  an  awakening  of  his  whole  religious  nature. 

When  this  realization  of  need  comes,  then  each  branch  of 
the  Church  may  be  ready  to  acknowledge  that  others  have 
emphasized  elements  that  can  be  overlooked  only  by  impover- 
ishing one's  largest  life.  One  denomination,  for  example, 
has  stood  out  for  the  freedom  of  congregational  life.  An- 
other, historically,  has  laid  emphasis  on  the  right  of  each 
individual  soul  to  direct  communion  with  God  without  inter- 
vention of  book,  creed,  or  priest.  Still  another  has  acted  on 
the  advisability  of  having  an  educated  ministry,  and  of  certain 
democratic  elements  in  government. 

In  a  reaction  against  Rome  some  have  starved  their  esthetic 
sense,  and  we  therefore  turn  with  joy  to  a  church  that  has 
ever  continued  to  nurture  a  sense  of  beauty  and  reverence  in 
form  and  ritual.  For  many  it  will  go  against  the  grain  to 
give  up  prejudices  against  art  and  ritual  in  worship — preju- 
dices which  have  made  much  of  our  American  life  unneces- 
sarily ugly.  It  may  cost  Puritan  pride  something  to  acknov/1- 
edge  that  any  communion  has  developed  a  greater  capacity 
for  worship  and  a  finer  loyalty  to  the  Church  than  it  pos- 
sesses. Just  as  hard,  on  the  other  hand,  will  it  be  for  others 
to  acknowledge  that  independence  and  reliance  may  be  de- 
veloped, as  well  as  very  real  needs  met,  by  elements  of  freedom 
in  prayer  and  worship.  We  are  eager  for  a  church  willing 
to  pay  the  price  of  bringing  together  these  isolated  values 
and  of  rearing  up  a  generation  able  and  eager  to  vibrate  in 
response  to  the  whole  gamut  of  religious  experience  in  worship 
and  in  service.  We  need  comprehension  in  the  Church,  not 
so  much  to  make  reunion  possible,  as  for  the  sake  of  truth 
and  fulness  of  life. 

The  trend  of  the  times  indicates  that  the  Church  must  also 
face  the  cost  of  breaking  over  old  conventions.  The  present 
expectation  that  one  man  should  combine  within  himself  the 
functions  of  pastor,  teacher,  and  preacher  may  have  to  be 
given  up  for  a  greater  differentiation  in  the  ministry.  The 
practical  departments  of  our  leading  seminaries  tell  us  that 
thousands  of  men  are  laboring  to  produce  two  sermons  a 
week  where  only  a  few  have  the  preaching  gift.  Instead 
of  tying  the  natural  preacher  down  to  a  single  congregation 
that  happens  to  be  best  able  to  pay  him,  it  may  become  neces- 

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READINESS  TO  PAY  THE  COST       [VIII-c] 

sary  to  share  him  with  many  places.  In  smaller  parishes 
there  may  have  to  be  more  freedom  in  frankly  reading  great 
sermons.  Thus  could  the  clergy  be  freed  from  the  tyranny 
of  sermonizing,  and  be  able  to  give  time  and  leadership  to 
making  the  Church  a  more  dynamic  institution.  Furthermore, 
friendly  visitation  is  important,  but  here  again  differentiation 
in  the  pastoral  function  is  needed.  Church  members  should 
carry  much  of  this  work,  so  that  the  time  and  energy  of  the 
one  outstanding  member  of  a  church's  general  staff  should 
be  conserved  for  the  highest  constructive  leadership.  New 
times  demand  new  measures  and  the  Church  must  be  ready 
to  pay  the  cost  in  alertness,  flexibility,  and  far-seeing  adapta- 
tion of  means  to  ends. 

The  clergy  must  lead  in  this  sacrificial  life.  If  the  fire 
burns  intensely  in  the  leader  of  the  parish,  it  will  spread. 
From  one  small  church  the  pastor,  the  organist,  and  sixteen 
members  of  the  choir  volunteered  at  once  for  war  service. 
Is  it  any  wonder  that  the  enthusiasm  for  meeting  national 
need  was  contagious  through  the  congregation?  Similarly,  in 
days  of  peace  if  a  lofty,  but  hardy,  life  of  self-giving  is 
embodied  by  the  leaders  of  the  Church,  there  will  be  plenty 
to  follow,  and  answer  to  the -call  of  sacrifice. 


Society  must  be  ready  to  pay  the  cost  of  readjustment  ac- 
cording to  Christiaii  principles.  If  Jesus  were  to  come  today, 
he  could  say,  no  less  than  when  in  Palestine,  that  the  accept- 
ance of  his  spirit  and  his  teachings  would  cause  a  ferment 
and  a  shock  right  through  society.  For  his  teachings  would 
still  be  new  wine  which  would  burst  old  wine-skins,  and  go 
against  conservative  standards.  Men  would  still  find  his 
commandment  new.  We  have  to  so  small  an  extent  embodied 
his  spirit  in  our  social  order  that  his  call  to  do  so  would 
still  bring  "not  .  .  .  peace  but  a  sword"  (Matt.  10:34),  or,  as 
another  gospel  puts  it,  would  "cast  fire  upon  the  earth"  (Luke 
12:49).  We  are  so  little  like  what  we  should  be,  that  un- 
questionably we  would  have  to  be  born  again  before  we  could 
even  see  in  imagination  his  social  ideal. 

We  are  not  without  prophetic  leaders  whose  penetrating 
insight  into  the  social  application  of  Christ's  teaching  is  show- 
ing us  how  loyalty  to  him  will  mean  many  a  radical  change  in 

171 


[VIII-c]    MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

standard  and  motive.  We  begin  to  be  conscious  of  sin  and 
injustice  deep-seated  in  the  very  constitution  of  our  social 
•order.  Who  among  us  is  ready  to  follow  without  compromise 
the  pure  standards  of  Jesus,  though  it  mean  a  renouncing  of 
long-time  accepted  values? 

The  question  must  be  squarely  faced,  for  example,  whether 
it  is  Christian  ever  to  use  another  for  personal  ends  without 
equal  consideration  of  his  welfare  and  advantage.  Does  it 
solve  the  problem  to  take  some  of  the  money  that  should 
have  been  given  to  wage-earners,  and  with  it  establish  welfare 
work  for  them?  Is  the  missive  and  finely  articulated  in- 
dustrial, commercial,  and  financial  system,  which  has  grown 
up  in  the  last  three-fourths  of  a  century  and  which  has  per- 
meated all  phases  of  our  life,  really  Christian  in  its  adminis- 
tration as  long  as  its  legal  control  is  in  the  hands  of  private 
persons,  who  do  not  think  of  their  responsibilities  as  social? 
Is  the  modern  industrial  system  under  which  the  means  of 
production  are  all  fenced  off  by  private  ownership  too  nearly 
the  foster-mother  of  a  new  kind  of  slavery — a  wage  slavery, 
in  which  men  are  forced  to  sell  their  labor  to  others  in  order 
to  gain  the  right  to  work?  Is  a  regime  under  which  one  is 
more  sure  to  make  a  fortune  the  further  removed  he  is  from 
the  actual  processes  of  production,  compatible  with  a  regime 
that  gives  first  place  to  the  one  who  serves  the  most?  In 
business  should  the  motive  of  making  money  be  permitted 
to  remain  first  and  foremost?  To  what  extent  is  the  whole 
system  of  relentless  competition  consistent  with  the  spirit 
of  Jesus?  If  in  non-Christian  countries  discipleship  often 
means  relinquishing  fortune  and  family  ties,  is  it  too  much 
to  expect  that  those  ambitions  should  be  rooted  out  of  our 
business  and  social  life  which  are  contrary  to  the  mind  of 
Christ?  Is  it  right  that  many  who  are  least  necessary  to 
society  should  be  most  imbursed?  If  one  began  to  embody 
the  Christian  principle  that  service  is  superior  to  being  served, 
or  that  life  is  not  to  be  measured  by  the  abundance  of  posses- 
sions, what  awkward  changes  would  be  necessary  in  our  social 
rewards  and  in  our  social  conduct? 

Many  are  answering  such  questions  as  these  in  a  way 
that  would,  for  most  of  us,  mean  shouldering  a  new  and 
heavy  cross.  For  in  reality  we  are  at  the  dav/n  of  a  new 
reformation,  in  which  the  principles  and  spirit  of  Jesus  are 
being  interpreted  for  modern  life. 

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READINESS  TO  PAY  THE  COST       [VIII-c] 

VI 

For  each  nation  the  question  must  ultimately  arise  as  to 
whether  it  is  willing  to  pay  the  cost  of  being  Christian.  Al- 
ready men  are  saying  that  no  nation  with  integrity  should 
build  itself  up  at  the  expense  of  weaker  nations.  And  as 
in  ordinary  business  life  the  private  ownership  of  certain 
common  and  public  utilities  is  being  discountenanced,  the  day 
will  undoubtedly  come  when  nations  will  have  to  face  the 
same  principle  and  pay  the  cost  of  internationalizing  Panama, 
and  Gibraltar,  and  the  Suez  Canal. 

The  cessation  of  the  War  brought  its  great  opportunity 
for  nations  to  pay  the  price  of  being  Christian.  Long  before 
the  end,  Amelia  Josephine  Burr  put  these  pointed  questions 
in  her  poem  "The  Great  Victory" : 

"Thinking  of  your  wasted  land,  can  you  leave  that  land  un- 

wasted? 
^  Vengeance'  cup  within  your  hand,  can  you  put  it  by  untasted  ? 
With  the  tortures  of  your  living  and  the  faces  of  your  dead 
Branded  in  you  past  forgiving,  can  you  leave  the  curse  un- 
said?"' 

As  in  criminology  we  have  passed  from  punishment  a^ 
vengeance,  through  control  for  the  sake  of  correction,  to  the 
ideal  of  complete  reclamation  of  the  criminal  and  his  incor- 
poration in  a  society  reformed  to  induce  less  crime,  so  the 
question  comes  to  nations  whether  motives  of  vengeance  shall 
be  supreme,  or  whether  reformed  criminal  nations  shall  be 
received  back  into  a  reformed  society  of  peoples. 

Will  nations  that  have  the  power  to  control  raw  materials 
be  willing,  as  the  British  Labour  Party  suggested,  that  sys- 
tematic arrangements  be  made  on  an  international  basis  for 
the  distribution  of  available  raw  material  to  the  different 
countries,  in  proportion  to  their  several  pressing  needs,  rather 
than  to  their  purchasing  power?  And  will  the  governments 
in  each  country  be  willing  to  maintain  control  of  the  most 
indispensable  commodities,  in  order  that  the  richer  classes 
may  not  appropriate  them  in  a  competitive  market  according 
to  their  means,  but  that  they  may  be  systematically  distributed 
on  the  principle  of  "no  cake  for  anyone  until  all  have  bread"? 


3  "  The  Silver  Trumpet,"  p.  127. 

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[VIII-cJ     MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

Jesus  was  giving  no  external,  universal,  and  literal  rules 
when  he  said  to  turn  the  other  cheek,  to  go  the  two  miles, 
to  let  the  greatcoat  go  also,  and  to  lend.  But  he  was  indicating 
a  principle  that,  whether  in  private  or  in  national  life,  has 
been  all  too  little  tried.  There  is  unquestionably  something 
reformative  about  friendship  that  goes  forth  in  service  be- 
yond the  demands  of  mere  justice.  It  costs  to  do  this  indi- 
vidually. It  would  be  still  harder  for  a  nation  to  rise  high 
enough  to  adopt  this  method.  The  spirit  back  of  this  method 
— the  readiness  to  undergo  cost  to  self  in  order  to  produce  a 
transformation  in  an  evildoer — is  universally  incumbent  on 
us.  The  adaptation  of  the  highest  personal  ethics  to  the 
national  realm  will  cause  many  an  old  shibboleth  to  be  laid 
aside. 

VII 

It  is  right  that  one  should  with  steady  gaze  count  the  uost 
of  being  a  Christian.  Yet  the  notable  fact  is  that  experience 
has  proved  that  those  who  have  most  truly  paid  the  cost  have 
been  least  conscious  of  the  sacrifice.  "For  the  joy  that  was 
set  before  him,  endured  the  cross,  despising  shame"  (Heb. 
12:2) — this  was  Christ's  way  of  triumphing  over  trial.  Paul 
kept  his  eye  upon  the  goal  which  was  so  glorious,  so  impelling 
that  he  could  say:  "Forgetting  the  things  which  are  behind 
and  stretching  forward  to  the  things  which  are  before,^  I  press 
on  toward  the  goal,  unto  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of 
God  in  Christ  Jesus"  (Phil.  3:13,  14). 

In  comparison  with  a  great  goal  and  a  high  purpose,  sacri- 
fice is  as  nothing.  'T  never  made  a  sacrifice,"  said  Hudson 
Taylor  in  later  years,  looking  back  over  a  life  in  which  to  an 
unusual  extent  this  element  had  predominated.  Hudson  Tay- 
lor found  that  the  compensations  that  followed  any  apparent 
sacrifice  were  so  real  and  lasting  that  he  "came  to  see  that 
giving  up  is  inevitably  receiving  when  one  is  dealing  heart 
to  heart  with  God." 

Similarly  Livingstone  said :  "I  do  not  mention  these  priva- 
tions as  if  I  considered  them  to  be  sacrifices;  for  I  think 
that  the  word  ought  never  to  be  applied  to  anything  we  can 
do  for  Him  who  came  down  from  heaven  and  died  for  us." 
And  again,  "If  God,  in  his  great  mercy,  lead  me  in  His  way, 
to  me  there  is  little  worth  living  for  but  the  going  onward 
with  His  blessed  work.     Of  course  it  is  wrong  to  risk  one's 

174 


READINESS  TO  PAY  THE  COST       [VIII-c] 

life,  but  to  carry  one's  life  in  one's  hand  is  what  other  soldiers, 
besides  those  of  the  Cross,  do  habitually." 

John  Coleridge  Patteson,  the  famous  English  oarsman,  who 
was  murdered  by  South  Sea  Islanders,  thus  winning  the  name 
"Martyr  of  Melanesia,"  spoke  as  follows  of  the  kind  of  person 
needed  for  world  service :  "Earnest,  bright,  cheerful  fellows, 
without  that  notion  of  'making  sacrifices'  so  perpetually  occur- 
ring to  their  minds,  would  be  invaluable.  You  know  the  kind 
of  men,  who  have  got  rid  of  the  conventional  notion  that  more 
self-denial  is  needed  for  a  missionary  than  for  a  sailor  or 
soldier,  who  are  sent  anyvrhere  and  leave  home  and  country 
for  years,  and  think  nothing  of  it  because  they  go  on  duty." 

It  is  possible  to  draw  stimulus  out  of  the  very  difficulties 
of  the  work  and  to  think  of  hardships  as  things  not  to  be 
endured  but  to  be  ignored.  Much  depends  on  the  attitude  we 
bring  to  our  task  and  the  devotion  with  which  we  pursue  it. 
The  soldiers  at  the  front  did  not  talk  of  sacrifice.  "Bad  luck, 
old  fellow,  you  have  been  hard  hit,"  said  a  companion  in 
arms  to  an  unshaved  peasant  picked  up  by  an  ambulance  in 
France,  both  arms  gone.  "No,  I  gave  my  life  to  France.  She 
has  taken  only  my  arms."  Wealthy,  cultured  women,  who 
never  did  a  day's  work  in  their  lives,  were  seen  in  the  canteens 
scrubbing  floors  and  serving  tables.  "Sacrifice?"  they  ex- 
claimed.    "We  are  happier  than  we  have  ever  been  before."  • 

Can  one  doubt  that  the  loving  life  is  vastly  more  satisfying 
than  the  selfish  life  can  ever  be?  In  spite  of  difficulties,  hard- 
ships, and  trials,  the  life  spent  for  others  is  even  here  and  now 
infinitely  more  rich  and  significant  than  a  selfish  life  can 
possibly  be.  The  Christian  knows  that  selfishness  is  an  inevi- 
table limitation  of  life,  and  love  just  as  inevitably  is  its 
enlargement. 

Then,  too,  are  we  going  even  to  name  the  hardships  of 
the  peaceful  spread  of  the  democracy  of  God  in  the  presence 
of  those  who  hate  given  their  lives  for  its  spread  through 
war?  Ten  score  Christians  from  the  West  were  martyred 
during  the  first  century  of  Protestant  missions  in  China,  but 
that  is  as  nothing  compared  v/ith  the  toll  of  consecrated  lives 
taken  by  a  single  day's  fighting  in  France.  We  were  told 
about  a  mother,  with  three  sons  killed  in  battle,  who  with 
radiant  face  gave  her  fourth  to  face  wounds  and  death  at 
country's  call.  Why,  then,  should  a  Christian  mother  flinch 
from  allowing  her  child  to  make  a  peaceful  journey  overseas 

175 


[VIII-c]     MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

to  undertake  constructive  work  of  exceptional  scope  and 
power  for  the  highest  of  world  enterprises?  If  it  was  not 
waste  for  the  flower  of  our  colleges  to  die  for  democracy,  is 
it  waste  for  the  best  to  live  for  the  extension  of  that  which 
alone  can  make  democracy  safe?  In  the  presence  of  the 
millions  who  have  lived  the  stern  and  simple  life  in  order  that 
Red  Cross  and  Liberty  Loans  may  be  supported,  we  blush  to 
mention  the  paltry  sum  of  one  dollar  and  twenty-two  cents 
which  is,  at  present,  the  average  church  member's  contribution 
to  the  Kingdom  overseas.  We  have  been  living  at  a  time 
when  men  saw  that  it  is  quality  of  life,  not  quantity,  that  really 
matters ;  when  death  was  but  an  incident  in  the  great  fact 
of  eternal  life ;  when  the  very  indifference  to  human  flesh 
made  men  assured  that  there  was  something  vastly  more. 
Men  at  the  front  had  it  out  with  death ;  they  counted  the  cost ; 
and  were  living  from  high  principle  and  sense  of  sacred  duty. 
By  all  means,  let  us  be  ready  to  pay  the  cost  of  being  a 
Christian,  but  let  us  not  be  over  conscious  of  the  cost. 

What  the  noblest  souls  crave  is  not  recognition  of  their 
sacrifice,  but  that  the  cause  for  which  they  suffered  shall  be 
upheld  and  carried  forward.  Just  this  is  the  cry  voiced  by 
Colonel  John  McCrae: 

"In  Flanders  fields  the  poppies  blow 
Between  the  crosses,  row  on  row 
That  mark, our  place;  and  in  the  sky 
The  larks,  still  bravely  singing,  fly 
Scarce  heard,  amidst  the  guns  below. 
We  are  the  dead.     Short  days  ago 
We  lived,  felt  dawn,  saw  sunset  glow, 
Loved  and  were  loved,  and  now  we  lie 
In  Flanders  fields. 

Take  up  our  quarrel  v/ith  the  foe ! 
To  you,  from  failing  hands,  w.e  throw 
The  torch.     Be  yours  to  hold  it  high. 
If  ye  break  faith  with  us  who  die 
We  shall  not  sleep,  though  poppies  grow 
In  Flanders  fields." 

TOPICS  FOR  DISCUSSION 

I.  "I  count  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency  of  the 
knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord."    If  some  person  should 

176 


READINESS  TO  PAY  THE  COST       [VIII-c] 

say  to  you  that  this  in  the  mouth  of  a  modern  church  member 
is  pure  cant,  how  would  you  meet  his  criticism? 

2.  What  does  the  modern  Christian  lose  and  what  does  he 
gain  by  professing  Christianity? 

3.  What  did  Christ  teach  that  his  disciples  should  lose  and 
should  gain? 

4.  Do  the  last  two  questions  indicate  that  Christianity  is  at 
its  core  selfish?     How  could  you  show  that  it  is  not? 

5.  Give  some  example  of  where  appeal  to  heroism  has 
brought  a  great  response. 

6.  Give  several  illustrations  of  progress  that  has  come  (a) 
without  sacrifice,  (b)  with  sacrifice, 

7.  What  did  it  cost  Israel  as  a  nation  to  become  ready  for 
international  service?  In  Egypt?  In  the  wilderness?  As  a 
kingdom?     In  captivity?     After  the  Restoration? 

8.  In  what  ways  have  we  as  a  nation  paid  the  cost  of  prepa- 
ration for  international  service? 


177 


CHAPTER  IX 

A  Sense  of  Vocation 

Resolve,  power,  fruitfulness  develop  in  that  life  which  is 
conscious  of  a  call  from  God.  No  Christian  can  come  to  his 
greatest  world  significance  without  a  keen  sense  of  close 
personal  relationship  to  God  and  of  ready  response  to  his  will. 

As  we  look  through  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  we  find 
God  laying  his  hand  on  one  man  after  another,  calling  him  to 
some  special  task — for  each  piece  of  work  is  special  for  some 
man.  Now  it  is  a  herdsman,  now  a  courtier,  who  is  called — 
men  who,  like  the  disciples,  come  from  every  rank  of  society 
and  possess  all  grades  of  ability.  The  Bible  shows  us  how 
God  has  used  men  and  women  of  every  kind  to  do  his  will 
and  gives  us  the  assurance  that  he  is  still  calling  helpers  of 
the  most  varied  kind.  The  world  Christian  will  not  be  one 
to  drift  into  his  place  in  life,  but  will  be  ready  to  fulfil  the 
conditions  which  will  enable  him  to  perceive  his  vocation  from 
God. 

Ninth    Week,    First    Day:    Abraham— A    Call    to 
Enlarged  Horizons 

By  faith  Abraham,  when  he  was  called,  obeyed  to  go 
out  unto  a  place  which  he  was  to  receive  for  an  inherit- 
ance; and  he  went  out,  not  knowing  whither  he  went. 
By  faith  he  became  a  sojourner  in  the  land  of  promise, 
as  in  a  land  not  his  own,  dwelling  in  tents,  with  Isaac 
and  Jacob,  the  heirs  with  him  of  the  same  promise.  .  .  . 
These  all  died  in  faith,  not  having  received  the  promises, 
but  having  seen  them  and  greeted  them  from  afar. — Heb. 
II :  8,  9,   13. 

There  is  something  distinctly  modern  in  the  way  In  which 
Abraham  was  called  forth  to  "a  land  not  his  own."  The 
pressure  came  on  him  to  break  with  old  ties,  old  associations, 
old  ways  of  life,  and  set  out  for  another  land.    Such  a  call  still 

178 


A  SENSE  OF  VOCATION  [IX-i] 

comes  literally  to  those  world  Christians  who,  as  missionaries 
or  as  pioneers  in  commerce,  feel  led  to  serve  God  in  other 
lands.  They,  too,  know  what  it  is  to  set  one's  face  toward 
a  distant  and  unfamiliar  land.  But  in  another  way  this  call 
comes  to  each  of  us,  not  necessarily  to  change  our  abode  or 
our  outward  mode  of  life,  but  to  enlarge  our  horizon,  to  live 
in  interest  and  imagination  in  other  lands  than  our  own.  It 
was  no  easy  matter  for  Abraham  to  set  out  from  the  old, 
familiar,  luxuriant  life  of  nature  and  of  man  on  that  rich 
alluvial  land  between  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates.  May  we  on 
our  part  not  hesitate,  when  we  hear  God's  call,  to  enter 
through  knowledge  and  sympathy  into  lands  that  are  not  our 
own. 

We  note,  furthermore,  that  "he  went  out,  not  knowing 
whither  he  went."  These  are  the  circumstances  under  which 
God's  call  often  comes  to  us.  We  have  an  unmistakable  feel- 
ing that  God  is  leading  us  away  from  our  present  manner  of 
life  or  our  present  plans.  The  direction  we  are  to  take  is 
plain,  but  what  that  direction  is  to  lead  to  is  by  no  means 
plain.  It  took  faith  for  Abraham  and  it  still  takes  faith  for 
any  man  to  launch  out  from  old  moorings  when  the  next 
port  is  unknown.  Faith  rises  to  the  highest  when  without 
sight  we  obey — when  we  follow  truth  and  righteousness  with- 
out fear  as  to  the  Spirit's  leading.  The  significant  factor  in 
such  situations  is  the  confidence  that  there  is  Someone  who  is 
going  along  as  guide. 

"Lead,  kindly  Light,  amid  the  encircling  gloom, 

Lead  thou  me  on ! 
The  night  is  dark,  and  I  am  far  from  home ; 

Lead  thou  me  on ! 
Keep  thou  my  feet;  I  do  not  ask  to  see 
The  distant  scene — one  step  enough  for  me." 

But  the  most  striking  clause  in  these  verses  is  the  following : 
"Abraham,  when  he  was  called,  obeyed."  Back  of  this  simple 
sentence  are  some  fundamentals  that  should  characterize  every 
world  Christian  of  the  present  day.  It  is  plain  that  Abraham 
was  in  touch  with  God ;  he  was  living  so  that  he  could  hear 
the  call ;  it  was  a  natural  and  normal  thing  for  God  to  speak  ; 
and  when  God  had  once  spoken,  there  was  unhesitating 
obedience.     An   imperative  need   in  these  days   is   that  each 

179 


[IX-2]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

one  should  have  a  vivid  realization  of  God.  If  God  does 
not  seem  close  to  you  now — even  if  you  have  never  had  this 
experience — remember  that  this  is  your  birthright  as  a  child 
of  God.  And  if  response  to  the  inward  leading  is  hard,  recall 
that  long  line  since  Abraham  whose  ears  have  caught  the 
voice  of  the  living  God.  After  so  many  examples  of  faith 
down  through  the  ages,  it  ought  to  be  easier  for  us  than  for 
the  man  of  Ur  to  detect  and  to  trust  the  still  small  voice 
within. 

Ninth  Week,  Second  Day :  Gideon— A  Call  to  Those 
Who  Criticize 

And  the  angel  of  Jehovah  came,  and  sat  under  the  oak 
which  was  in  Ophrah,  that  pertained  unto  Joash  the 
Abiezrite:  and  his  son  Gideon  was  beating  out  wheat  in 
the  winepress,  to  hide  it  from  the  Midianites.  And  the 
angel  of  Jehovah  appeared  unto  him,  and  said  unto  him, 
Jehovah  is  with  thee,  thou  mighty  man  of  valor.  And 
Gideon  said  unto  him,  Oh,  my  lord,  if  Jehovah  is  with 
us,  why  then  is  all  this  befallen  us?  and  where  are  all  his 
wondrous  works  which  our  fathers  told  us  of,  saying,  Did 
not  Jehovah  bring  us  up  from  Egypt?  but  now  Jehovah 
hath  cast  us  off,  and  delivered  us  into  the  hand  of  Midian. 
And  Jehovah  looked  upon  him,  and  said.  Go  in  this  thy 
might,  and  save  Israel  from  the  hand  of  Midian:  have 
not  I  sent  thee?  And  he  said  unto  him.  Oh,  Lord,  where- 
with shall  I  save  Israel?  behold,  my  family  is  the  poorest 
in  Manasseh,  and  I  am  the  least  in  my  father's  house. 
And  Jehovah  said  unto  him.  Surely  I  will  be  with  thee, 
and  thou  shalt  smite  the  Midianites  as  one  man.  .  .  .  But 
the  Spirit  of  Jehovah  came  upon  Gideon;  and  he  blew  a 
trumpet;  and  Abiezer  was  gathered  together  after  him. — 
Judges  6: 11-16,  34. 

Could  any  paragraph  be  more  full  of  complaint  and  doubt 
than  Gideon's  first  response  to  the  angel?  "If  Jehovah  is  with 
us"  seems  to  indicate  some  doubt  as  to  God's  continued  care. 
What  other  explanation  was  there  of  all  that  had  befallen 
them?  "And  where  are  all  his  wondrous  works"  definitely 
raises  the  question  of  God's  present  interest  or  power.  "But 
now  Jehovah  hath  cas-t  us  off"  seems  as  definitely  to  be  the 
expression  of  one  who  had  lost  his  faith  in  God's  dependable- 
ness. 

And  yet  something  else  was  there — righteous  indignation, 
180 


A  SENSE  OF  VOCATION  [IX-2] 

courage,  sympathy  with  his  fellow-Israelites,  and  a  longing  to 
help.  These  were  really  signs  of  God's  presence  in  his  life, 
and  Gideon  had  not  learned  to  interpret  them.  For  God  is  not 
a  far-away,  external  being.  The  very  faith  and  hope  and 
love  within  us  are  tokens  of  Jehovah's  presence,  unrecognized 
.and  unreleased  though  he  may  be. 

Yet  somehow  in  the  midst  of  his  impetuous  criticism., 
Gideon  became  aware  that  he  had  a  part  to  play  in  making 
conditions  right.  The  call  came  to  the  complainer  to  become 
the  helper — "Go  in  this  thy  might  and  save  Israel."  Then 
the  excuses  began.  When  he  saw  that  he  had  a  definite  rela- 
tionship to  the  meeting  of  the  need  of  his  nation,  he  pleaded 
his  own  unfitness  and  inadequacy,  the  obscurity  of  his  family, 
his  own  lack  of  all  prestige.  How  many  times  we  find  our- 
selves, like  Gideon,  pessimistic,  laying  blame  on  others,  gen- 
erally discontented  with  the  way  the  world  is  going,  even 
doubting  whether  God  is  very  much  interested  in  us  after  all. 
If  we  stopped  to  listen,  do  you  not  think  that  we,  too,  would 
hear  God  calling  us  to  take  a  hand,  to  do  our  part  to  make 
things  right? 

And  then  when  God  had  opened  up  the  vision  of  our  own 
individual  responsibility  as  world  Christians  in  all  the  great- 
ness of  his  thought  for  us,  we  would  be  very  likely  to  say:  "O, 
what  experience  have  I  had?  Who  am  I  to  attempt  this? 
Nobody  knows  me.  Even  amongst  my  friends  no  one  has 
picked  me  out  as  great."  Here  we  must  learn  Gideon's  lesson. 
God  was  not  sarcastic  in  following  up  his  complaints  vrith, 
"Go  in  this  thy  might  and  save  Israel."  God  really  saw  in 
Gideon,  as  in  all  of  us,  capacity  that  he  could  use.  The  very 
explosion  of  complaint  showed  an  underlying  solicitude  for 
the  highest  welfare  of  his  people.  But  in  calling  Gideon  God 
knew  that  there  was  something  more  than  any  might  that 
was  in  Gideon  himself.  "Have  not  I  sent  thee?"  Under  these 
circumstances  was  it  not  clear  that  Gideon  could  count  on 
being  empowered  above  his  natural  strength?  "Surely  I  will 
be  with  thee."  Here  is  the  justification  of  the  humblest  of 
us  in  attempting  the  greatest  task  to  which  God  calls  us. 
Without  this  assurance,  how  dare  we  launch  out  at  all? 

The  final  secret  of  Gideon's  strength  is  found  in  the  last 
verse  of  our  reading.  The  margin  puts  it,  "The  spirit  of  the 
Lord  clothed  itself  with  Gideon."  If  the  part  God  is  calling 
you  to  play  in  the  world's  work  seems  overwhelmingly  greater 

181 


[IX-3]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

than  you  are  fitted  for,  remember  that  God  is  ever  clothing 
himself  upon  those  who  heed  when  he  says :  "Have  not  I  sent 
thee?     Surely  I  will  be  with  thee." 

Ninth   Week,   Third   Day:   Amos— A   Call   to   the 
Unconventional 

Then  answered  Amos,  and  said  to  Amaziah,  I  was  no 
prophet,  neither  was  I  a  prophet's  son;  but  I  was  a  herds- 
man, and  a  dresser  of  sycomore-trees:  and  Jehovah  took 
me  from  following  the  flock,  and  Jehovah  said  unto  me. 
Go,  prophesy  unto  my  people  Israel. — Amos  7: 14,  15. 

This  desert-trained  man  of  Tekoa  was  able  to  hear  a  call 
which  led  him  to  break  over  the  conventions  of  his  time  and 
become  the  founder  of  a  new  order  of  prophecy.  Heretofore 
there  had  been  guilds  of  men,  "sons  of  the  prophets,"  as  they 
were  called,  who  made  their  living  by  prophesying.  To  the 
insinuation  of  Amaziah  that  Amos  was  a  professional  and 
could  work  wherever  expediency  dictated,  Amos  replied  that 
something  higher  than  custom  or  gain  was  directing  his  life. 

Could  anything  have  been  more  unexpected?  Here  was  a 
herdsman  of  desert  sheep,  a  "pincher"  of  a  fig-like  fruit 
eaten  only  by  the  poor !  Yet  God  called  him,  with  all  his  rude 
attire  and  serious  face,  to  confront  the  self-indulgent  luxury 
and  the  immorality  of  the  Northern  Kingdom. 

Are  we  to  draw  the  conclusion  that  education  and  training 
are  not  essential  for  God's  service?  No,  but  we  may  see  how 
he  has  many  ways  of  fitting  men  to  do  his  will.  The  solitude 
of  the  fields  and  plains  of  Judah  was  the  school  of  Amos. 
Can  you  possibly  have  had  less  opportunity? 

While  he  was  engaged  in  his  regular  work,  God's  call  came 
to  him.  No  one  could  call  his  new  task  a  pleasing  one.  To 
charge  men  of  position  with  injustice  and  oppression;  to  sound 
God's  doom  upon  the  indifference  of  the  people  was  scarcely 
an  inviting  or  a  hopeful  venture.  But  the  basal  fact  was 
that  God  had  chosen  him,  and  that  meant  unhesitating  obedi- 
ence. 

Some  of  us  are  poor,  untrained  as  universities  count  train- 
ing, and  living  away  from  the  centers  of  power  or  luxury. 
Let  us  remember  that  God  has  schools  of  many  kinds  and  that 
the  world  has  a  crying  need  for  those  who  possess  clear,  un- 
clouded moral  judgment  and   have  hearts   attuned   to   catch 

182 


A  SENSE  OF  VOCATION  [IX-4] 

the  mind  of  God.  Let  your  meditations  go  out,  as  did  those 
of  Amos,  to  kingdoms  that  are  not  your  own.  Give  inter- 
national scope  to  your  spiritual  hunger  and  insight  and  con- 
victions, as  did  this  humble  desert  herdsman.  Be  not  abashed 
or  unfaithful,  if  God  takes  you  from  behind  the  flock. 

Ninth  Week,  Fourth  Day:  Isaiah — Beholding  the 
Spiritually  Real 

In  the  year  that  king  Uzziah  died  I  sav/  the  Lord  sit- 
ting upon  a  throne,  high  and  lifted  up;  and  his  train  filled 
the  temple.  Above  him  stood  the  seraphim:  each  one  had 
six  wings;  with  twain  he  covered  his  face,  and  with  twain 
he  covered  his  feet,  and  with  twain  he  did  fly.  And  one 
cried  unto  another,  and  said.  Holy,  holy,  holy,  is  Jehovah 
of  hosts:  the  whole  earth  is  full  of  his  glory.  And  the 
foundations  of  the  thresholds  shook  at  the  voice  of  him 
that  cried,  and  the  house  was  filled  with  smoke.  Then 
said  I,  Woe  is  me!  for  I  am  undone;  because  I  am  a  man 
of  unclean  lips,  and  I  dwell  in  the  midst  of  a  people  of 
unclean  lips:  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  the  King,  Jehovah 
of  hosts. 

Then  flew  one  of  the "  seraphim  unto  me,  having  a 
Hve  coal  in  his  hand,  which  he  had  taken  with  the  tongs 
from  off  the  altar:  and  he  touched  my  mouth  with  it, 
and  said,  Lo,  this  hath  touched  thy  lips;  and  thine  iniquity 
is  taken  away,  and  thy  sin  forgiven.  And  I  heard  the 
voice  of  the  Lord,  saying,  Whom  shall  I  send,  and  who 
will  go  for  us?  Then  I  said,  Here  am  I;  send  me.  And 
he  said.  Go,  and  tell  this  people.  Hear  ye  indeed,  but  un- 
derstand not;  and  see  ye  indeed,  but  perceive  not. — Isa. 
6: 1-9. 

If  world  friendship  is  to  be  most  significant,  there  must 
have  come  to  us  as  to  Isaiah  a  vision  of  the  great  realities 
back  of  our  visible  world.  To  the  ancient  prophet  came  a 
very  vivid  realization  of  God  in  all  his  majesty  and  exaltation. 
He  saw  God  as  a  great  king  on  his  throne.  About  him  were 
beings  alive  to  his  glory  and  ever  ready  to  serve  him.  Behind 
the  visible,  Isaiah  saw  activity,  service,  and  appreciation  all 
centering  in  God.  This  world  will  never  have  its  fullest 
meaning  for  us  until  we,  too,  can  see  God  back  of  everything, 
and  are  impelled  to  join  in  the  praise,  "Holy,  holy,  holy,  is 
Jehovah  of  hosts." 

Very  true  to  our  own  experience  is  Vv^hat  followed.     Kow 

183 


[IX-5]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN  \ 

I 
often  have  we  begun  our  prayer  v/ith  praise  and  adoration  of  i 
our  Father.  As  our  minds  dwelt  on  his  purity,  his  holiness,  his  \ 
love,  his  character,  a  sense  of  our  own  unworthiness  has 
almost  inevitably  come  over  us,  and  we  have  passed  naturally  ; 
into  confession.  With  Isaiah  we  acknowledge  that  we  are  i 
men  with  unclean  lips.  ; 

But  we  never  see  God  in  his  fulness  if  our  experience  ' 
stops  here.  For,  since  Jesus  revealed  the  Father,  each  one  | 
of  us  may  have  the  wonderful  sense  of  forgiveness  and 
cleansing  that  was  pictured  by  Isaiah  as  a  seraph  touching  ■ 
his  lips  with  a  live  coal,  so  that  his  iniquity  was  taken  away  ; 
and  his  sin  purged.  Normal  prayer  still  passes  through  the  \ 
stages  of  adoration,  thanksgiving,  confession  with  a  sense  of  j 
forgiveness,  and  on  to  aspiration  and  petition. 

Prepared  in   such  a  way,  Isaiah  was  able  to  perceive  the  -i 
same  call  that  is  coming  to  every  individual  today.    The  world   ; 
that  we  see  is  out  of  harmony  with  the  world  that  lies  back   ; 
of  it.     Conditions  as  they  are,   come  short  of  conditions   as   j 
God  wants  them  to  be.    A  great  insistent  need  is  ever  present,   i 
And  most  of  us  do  not  see  this  need,  nor  hear  the  call,  nor 
find   our  place   and   mission   in   the  world.     The   call   to   be 
world   Christians   comes   when   we  have   caught  some  vision  \ 
of  the  contrast  between  what  seems  to  be,  and  what  through  i 
God  can  be;  and  when  we  have  become  aware  of  that  wonder-   i 
ful  freedom  and  release  of  powers  and  energies  which  result   J 
from    forgiveness   and   cleansing.     We  are   living   in   a   busy   , 
age  when  it  is  easy  to  leave  God  out  of  account.     Why  not 
definitely  determine  to  fulfil  the  conditions  which  may  bring 
to  us,  as  to  Isaiah,  the  life-transforming  vision  of  the  glory 
and  the  reality  of  our  God? 

Ninth    Week,    Fifth    Day;    Jeremiah — Inspiration 
from  a  Planned  Life  j 

Now  the  word  of  Jehovah  came  unto  me,  saying,  Be-  •! 
fore  I  formed  thee  in  the  belly  I  knew  thee,  and  before 
thou  camest  forth  out  of  the  womb  I  sanctified  thee;  I 
have  appointed  thee  a  prophet  unto  the  nations.     Then 
said  I,   Ah,   Lord  Jehovah!  behold,   I  know  not  how  to   ^ 
speak;  for  I  am  a  child.     But  Jehovah  said  unto  me,  Say   j 
not,  I  am  a  child;  for  to  whomsoever  I  shall  send  thee 
thou    shalt    go,    and   whatsoever    I    shall    command    thee    i 
thou   shalt  speak.     Be   not   afraid  because   of   them;   for 

184 


A  SENSE  OF  VOCATION  [IX-5] 

I  am  with  thee  to  deliver  thee,  saith  Jehovah.  Then 
Jehovah  put  forth  his  hand,  and  touched  my  mouth;  and 
Jehovah  said  unto  me.  Behold,  I  have  put  my  words  in 
thy  mouth:  see,  I  have  this  day  set  thee  over  the  nations 
and  over  the  kingdoms,  to  pluck  up  and  to  break  down 
and  to  destroy  and  to  overthrow,  to  build  and  to  plant. — 
Jer.  1:4-10. 

To  be  selected  at  all  by  God  for  a  certain  task  would  seem 
to  be  assurance  enough.  But  somehow  there  comes  to  us 
an  added  confidence,  when  we  know  that  the  choice  has  been 
of  long  standing.  Jeremiah  must  have  felt  the  definiteness 
and  urgency  of  the  call  all  the  more,  when  told  that  this  had 
been  God's  thought  for  him  from  his  very  birth. 

If  the  very  hairs  of  our  heads  are  numbered,  if  not  a 
sparrow  falls  to  the  ground  without  the  Father's  knowing  it, 
if  God  takes  interest  in  the  individual  as  a  woman  in  a  lost 
coin  or  a  shepherd  in  a  lost  sheep,  then  may  the  assurance 
that  came  to  Jeremiah  be  ours  as  well.  We,  too,  are  not  here 
by  chance,  and  the  investment  of  our  lives  is  not  a  matter 
of  indifference.  God  has  sanctified  us  from  the  very  begin- 
ning for  some  task  that  awaits  our  doing. 

Those  of  older  years  know  how  true  this  is  to  experience. 
As  we  traversed  life's  way  the  path  did  not  always  seem 
plain.  Sometimes  we  were  turned  from  a  goal  we  had  set 
for  ourselves  by  some  slight  failure  or  apparent  lack  of  oppor- 
tunity. And  then  later  on  would  come  an  opening  we  had 
not  sought,  the  gentle  inward  pressure  would  urge  us  toward 
this  open  door,  and  a  host  of  things  in  our  past  lives  would 
fall  into  their  places,  showing  how  all  along  we  were  being 
fitted  for  this  very  thing.  We  are  often  strengthened  to  take 
up  an  unexpected  and  difficult  task  by  perceiving  how  the 
past  has  been  a  preparation  for  the  new  call  of  God.  Joseph, 
in  Egypt,  looking  back  over  his  life  could  reassure  his 
brothers  and  say :  "So  now  it  was  not  you  that  sent  me  hither, 
but  God"  (Gen.  45:8). 

By  no  means  a  general,  but  yet  a  very  natural,  experience 
in  the  face  of  some  great  call  of  God  is  the  feeling  of  inade- 
quacy, of  immaturity.  Moses  felt  it.  Gideon  felt  it.  Jonah 
and  Jeremiah  had  it.  To  us  in  our  day  comes  doubt  as  to 
health,  the  capacity  for  guiding  men,  the  courage  to  endure 
hardship,  the  power  to  acquire  a  foreign  language.  This 
sense  of  disproportion  between  task  and  agent  does  not  come, 

185 


[IX-6]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

however,  to  everyone.  But  to  all  alike  can  come  the  rich 
assurance  that  God  is  with  us,  that  we  do  not  .enter  upon  the 
task  alone.  Within  us  is  the  Source  of  life,  within  us  is  the 
Kingdom  of  God;  all  needed  power  is  available.  The  great 
Pilot  will  send  us  where  we  are  to  go ;  he  will  give  us  words 
to  speak;  he  will  outline  our  task  as  the  days  go  on. 

Many  a  Christian  has  responded  to  a  call  with  just  such 
faith  as  God  asked  Jeremiah  to  have,  and  what  have  seemed 
like  veritable  miracles  have  resulted.  In  these  days,  mo- 
mentous with  need  and  opportunity,  the  v/orld  Christian 
may  weir  shrink  before  complicated  situations,  delicate  adjust- 
ments, unprecedented  tasks.  Let  such  a  one  read  over  many 
times  God's  promise  to  Jeremiah  and  apply  its  principle  to 
himself. 

Ninth    Week,    Sixth    Day:    Paul — Courage    from 
Life's  Interpretation 

It  was  the  good  pleasure  of  God,  who  separated  me, 
even  from  my  mother's  womb,  and  called  me  through  his 
grace,  to  reveal  his  Son  in  me,  that  I  might  preach  him 
among  the  Gentiles. 

For  I  am  the  least  of  the  apostles,  that  am  not  meet 
to  be  called  an  apostle,  because  I  persecuted  the  church 
of  God.    But  by  the  grace  of  God  I  am  what  I  am. 

But  thanks  be  unto  God,  who  always  leadeth  us  in 
triumph  in  Christ,  and  maketh  manifest  through  us  the 
savor  of  his  knowledge  in  every  place.— Gal.  i:  15;  I  Cor. 
15:9,  10;  II  Cor.  2: 14. 

Paul,  also,  had  the  conviction  that  came  to  Jeremiah,  namely, 
that  he  had  been  set  apart  by  God  from  his  birth  for  a  certain 
task.  See  how  closely  his  very  words  parallel  those  of  Jere- 
miah. This  assurance  is  borne  in  upon  him  as  he  looks  back 
in  reflection  upon  the  incidents  of  his  life.  In  this  conscious- 
ness of  mission,  Paul  was  like  his  Master  who  said:  "To  this 
end  have  I  been  born,  and  to  this  end  am  I  come  into  the 
world"  (John  18:  2)7)- 

The  additional  stimulus  we  gain  from  Paul's  vocation  is  in 
noting  what  a  source  of  confidence  and  hope  and  assurance 
it  is  to  him.  The  very  difficulty  of  the  task  of  transforming 
Saul  the  persecutor  into  Paul  the  apostle  makes  him  feel  that 
God  must  have  had  a  purpose  through  him  which  he  does  not 

186 


A  SENSE  OF  VOCATION  [IX-7] 

mean  should  fail.  When  Paul  sees  how  the  pride  of  a  bigoted 
Pharisee  has  been  humbled,  how  deeply-ingrained  prejudices 
have  been  overcome,  how  a  blasphemer  of  the  Christ  has  been 
transformed,  and  an  ardent  persecutor  of  Christians  led  to 
be  an  apostle,  he  renews  his  courage.  Such  obstacles  would 
not  have  been  overcome  unless  God  were  very  definitely 
meaning  to  use  his  life. 

Are  there  not  many  of  us  who  may  find  a  source  of  strength 
and  comfort  for  our  further  life  in  just  such  a  reflection  on 
the  way  God  has  brought  us  to  where  we  are?  For  us  to  be 
where  and  what  we  are  seems  nothing  less  than  a  miracle. 
Are  we  going  to  disappoint  God  who  has  brought  us  thus  far  ? 
Or  shall  we  go  on  with  him,  realizing  that  "by  the  grace  of 
God  I  am  what  I  am"?  As  the  Children  of  Israel  took  cour- 
age from  rehearsing  Jehovah's  providences  throughout  their 
history  and  loved  to  speak  of  him  as  the  God  of  Abraham, 
of  Isaac,  and  of  Jacob,  so  may  we  take  strength  from  thinking 
of  God  as  the  one  who  has  brought  us  through  the  particular 
life-history  we  have  had.  As  we  stand  here  today,  faced 
possibly  with  some  difficult  task,  confronted  it  may  be  by 
some  open  door  through  which  we  see  a  career  that  seems 
beyond  our  power,  let  us  be  assured  that  God  does  not  at  this 
late  point  in  our  career  mean  that  failure  should  come  to  his 
design  for  us.  Surely  we  may  have  faith  in  him  who  has 
led  us  thus  far. 


Ninth    Week,    Seventh    Day:    The     Heritage    of  j 

Christ's  Chosen  1 

And  the  sheep  hear  his  voice:  and  he  calleth  his  own 

sheep  by  name,   and   leadeth   them   out.     When   he   hath  j 

put  forth  all  his  ov^rn,  he  goeth  before  them,  and  the  sheep  j 

follow  him:  for  they  know  his  voice. — John  10:3,  4.  j 

Ye  did  not  choose  me,  but  I  chose  you,  and  appointed  : 
you,  that  ye  should  go  and  bear  fruit,  and  that  your  fruit 
should  abide:  that  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  of  the  Father 
in  my  name,  he  may  give  it  you. — John  15:  16. 

i 

It  was  a  big,  practical  world  task  that  Jesus  came  to  ac-  ' 

complish,  and  each  one  of  us  is  called  to  join  in  the  work.  ; 

None  of  us  are  to  have  self-chosen  tasks,  for  Jesus  has  no  , 

uncalled  servants.     He  has  chosen  and  appointed  each  with  a  1 

187  ^ 


IIX-c]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

purpose.  In  these  verses  one  may  renew  again  his  conviction 
that  God  thinks  of  each  as  an  individual  and  again  may  deepen 
his  sense  of  personal  call. 

And  what  more  inspiring  goal  for  life  could  there  be  than 
the  promises  he  gives  to  those  who  respond  to  his  choosing — a 
productive  life,  work  of  eternal  significance,  and  spiritual 
insight  so  that  asking  from  God  shall  mean  receiving? 


COMMENT  FOR  THE  WEEK 


As  leaves  driven  about  by  an  autumn  wind  settle  down 
without  any  inherent  force  or  guidance,  so  all  too  many  are 
blown  into  their  places  by  the  force  of  mere  circumstance. 
Chance-directed  imitation  determines  the  life-work;  somQ 
fancy  as  to  expected  rewards  determines  the  profession;  or 
possibly  the  sheer  force  of  gravity  makes  one  drop  down  in 
an  unrefiective  way  into  a  certain  niche.  Thousands  of  edu- 
cated men  and  women,  themselves  Christian  and  members  of 
Christian  communities,  are  slow  to  realize  that  they  have  any 
responsibility  for  conditions  in  the  world,  and  settle  down 
haphazard,  with  no  alertness  or  expectation  of  a  call  from 
God.  Efficiency  experts  tell  us  that  seven  out  of  every  ten 
men  are  wrongly  placed,  and  that  most  men  are  utilizing  only 
about  one-third  of  their  mental  and  spiritual  force.  This 
condition  of  maladjustment  and  of  indifferent  drift  is  due  in 
part  to  the  fact  that  men  and  women  are  not  interpreting 
their  life-work  in  terms  of  God's  will. 

The  word,  "called,"  has  become  too  narrowed  in  its  applica- 
tion. It  seems  all  right  to  speak  of  a  man  being  "called"  to 
the  ministry,  or  "called"  to  be  a  fofeign  missionary;  but  we 
rarely  think  of  a  person  as  being  called  to  be  a  banker,  or 
diplomat,  or  merchant,  or  teacher.  On  the  other  hand  the 
word  "vocation"  has  lost  much  of  the  sacredness  of  its 
original  meaning,  so  that  one  even  hears  the  phrase  "choosing 
one's  vocation,"  as  though  you  could  choose  that  to  which 
you  are  called.  We  are  right  in  applying  the  word  "vocation" 
to  all  work  of  whatever  kind,  which  Christians  do  in  response 
to  God's  guidance,  but  we  are  wrong  in  leaving  out  of  our 
consciousness  the  original  implication  of  the  word — that  God 
has  a  purpose  for  every  single  one  of  his  children.    That  you 

i88 


A  SENSE  OF  VOCATION  [IX-c] 

do  not  recognize  the  vocation  or  call  from  God  does  not  mean 
that  he  has  no  plan.  For  even  of  Cyrus  God  could  say,  "I 
girded  thee,  though  thou  hast  not  known  me"  (Isa.  45:5). 
Consciously  or  unconsciously  God  is  girding  you  for  some 
specific  work,  in  the  doing  of  which  you  will  find  your  highest 
self-realization  and  the  world  will  receive  its  greatest  service. 

II 

There  is  one  primary  and  universal  call,  however,  that  comes 
to  every  Christian.  Until  one  has  heard  this  and  responded 
absolutely  to  it  one  can  hardly  be  in  the  proper  frame  of 
mind  or  heart  to  entertain  any  more  specific  call.  The  uni- 
versal vocation  is  that  we  submit  our  spirits  to  the  one  end 
of  developing  a  perfected  society  made  up  of  Christ-like  per- 
sonalities. Jesus  put  it  this  way :  "Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom 
of  God."  Blessed  is  that  youth  who,  at  student  conference 
or  in  the  quiet  influence  of  a  Christian  home,  has  found  God's 
Spirit  pressing  home  on  him  the  primary  obligation  of  conse- 
crating his  life — no  matter  in  what  concrete  expression — to 
the  service  of  God.  This  is  the  great  and  fundamental  de- 
cision of  one's  life.  The  simple  yet  momentous  questions  are 
just  these:  "Will  I  accept  God's  call  to  live  for  him,  and 
make  this  consideration  dominating?  Is  there  anything  that 
will  really  count  more  for  the  world  than  for  me  to  do  the 
will  of  God?  Is  there  any  task  more  supreme  than  finding 
out  his  plan  and  yielding  myself  to  its  fulfilment?" 

You  may  choose  your  life-work  yourself  and  then  decide 
to  serve  God  as  well  as  you  can  through  this  activity.  Or 
you  may  decide  to  serve  God  unhesitatingly  and  absolutely, 
whatever  this  may  involve,  and  in  particular  even  in  the 
specific  life-work  that  he  shall  open  up.  There  is  a  vast 
difference  between  these  two  procedures.  To  choose  our  work 
first  and  then  to  decide  to  serve  God  as  best  we  can  in  this 
work  is  reversing  the  order  approved  by  Jesus.  It  is  not 
enough  that  we  make  the  decision  to  serve  God  faithfully  in 
the  place  where  we  are.  For  that  place  itself  should  be  de- 
termined by  his  call  to  us.  Our  specific  life-work  will  absorb 
most  of  our  energy.  It  is  supremely  important  that  this  great 
outflow  of  life  shall  be  along  the  course  he  has  chosen  for 
our  life.  Mackay,  an  engineer  in  Scotland,  held  that  his  life 
had  been  given  to  him  to  use  for  Christ.    That  question  once 

189 


[IX-c]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

settled,  it  was  not  difficult  for  him,  when  the  information  was 
before  him,  to  decide  lo  use  his  engineering  talent  in  Uganda. 

Ill 

But  we  are  not  to  assume  that  such  a  primal  decision  will 
land  each  person  on  the  foreign  field,  for  God's  calls  are  many 
in  kind.  It  may  mean  a  vocation  right  here  at  home,  identify- 
ing our  lives  in  residential  friendship  with  the  immigrants 
or  the  mountaineers  of  some  needy  section  of  our  own  coun- 
try different  from  our  own.  It  may  mean  sharing  our  privi- 
leges with  communities  from  amongst  our  12,000,000  fellow- 
citizens  of  a  darker  skin.  For  some  mother  it  may  mean 
opening  the  door  of  her  home  to  foreign  students  for  simple 
Christian  fellowship  about  the  hearth-fire.  Our  country  is 
full  of  opportunity  to  stand  against  class  opposition  and  to 
show,  through  practical  deeds  as  well  as  attitude  of  mind, 
the  truth  that  we  are  members  one  of  another,  God  may  call 
some  to  be  teachers,  religious  educational  directors,  organ- 
izers of  a  federated  church  movement,  or  to  take  up  medicine, 
commerce,  trade,  or  art.  "Every  tree  is  a  challenge  to  us," 
says  our  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  "and  every  pool  of  water 
and  every  foot  of  soil.  The  mountains  are  our  enemies.  We 
must  pierce  them  and  make  them  serve.  The  wilful  rivers 
we  must  curb;  and  out  of  the  seas  and  air  renew  the  life  of 
the  earth  itself." 

Any  one  of  these  works,  so  necessary  for  the  welfare  of 
society,  is  just  as  worthy  as  the  other — providing  one  is  called 
to  it.  One  can  be  a  world  Christian  in  the  smallest  hamlet 
of  America.  Reading,  prayer,  giving,  all  the  manifold  forms 
of  holding  the  ropes  for^  those  who  have  gone  abroad,  are 
ways  in  which  one  may  express  one's  interest  in  the  world. 
"It  seems  as  if  some  were  called  to  China,  or  Africa,  or  India, 
for  God,  and  others  were  called  no  less  truly  to  God  for 
China,  or  Africa,  or  India,  or  rather  for  the  world."  Their 
place  may  be  at  home ;  their  work  can  be  for  the  world.  For 
those  who  stay  and  those  who  go,  "the  field  is  the  world" — 
not  the  distant  portions  only,  but  the  whole. 

And  even  if  one  feels  called  to  go  abroad,  there  are  many 
channels,  into  any  one  of  which  your  call  may  lead  you.  Some 
will  be  serving  God  in  sugar  or  rubber  plantations  in  Cuba 
or  South  America ;  others  will  be  building  bridges  in  Burma ; 
another   will   be   a    dentist   in    Kashmir.      Consulates,   banks, 

190 


A  SENSE  OF  VOCATION  [IX-c] 

commercial  posts,  educational  positions  make  their  legitimate 
call  as  well  as  does  that  magnificent  vocation — ambassadorship 
for  Christ. 

What  we  are  here  trying  to  say  is  that  this  primary  and 
fundamental  decision  to  serve  God  absolutely  and  to  use  our 
lives  for  his  glory,  does  not  necessarily  settle  the  question 
of  the  specific  channel  through  which  our  lives  are  to  flow. 
Any  one  who  has  read  the  lives  of  Nicholson  or  General 
Gordon  or  the  books  of  Donald  Hankey  can  see  how  these 
men  served  God  nobly  through  the  soldier's  life  abroad. 
Anyone  who  has  read  of  Edwardes  of  Peshawar  or  of  John 
and  Henry  Lawrence  of  the  Panjab  has  obtained  inspiring 
glimpses  into  lives  that  put  the  Kingdom  first  as  administra- 
tors of  the  British  Government  in  India.  The  Japanese  em- 
ployed Captain  L.  L.  Janes  as  an  educator,  but  the  wonderful 
Kumamoto  Band — a  group  of  students  who  came  to  be  among 
Japan's  most  distinguished  Christians — was  sufficient  evidence 
as  to  where  his  primal  loyalty  was.  What  a  tremendous  gain 
for  the  Kingdom  would  it  be  if  every  man  from  our  Christian 
homes  and  schools  who  went  abroad  in  commercial,  govern- 
mental, or  professional  tasks  felt  the  call  of  Christ  to  witness 
for  him  in  these  posts,  by  word  and  deed  and  life. 

Here  we  can  well  learn  from  Muhammadanism.  Its  most 
characteristic  method  of  expansion  is  found  in  the  zeal  of  the 
individual  believer.  No  profession  or  occupation  unfits  the 
believer  to  be  a  preacher  of  the  faith ;  it  is,  in  fact,  the 
trader  who  takes  the  largest  place  in  Muslim  propaganda. 
In  a  list  of  Muhammadan  missionaries,  published  by  an  In- 
dian paper  in  Lahore,  we  find  the  names  of  schoolmasters, 
government  clerks  in  the  canal  and  opium  departments,  trad- 
ers, including  a  dealer  in  camel  carts,  a  newspaper  editor,  a 
bookbinder,  and  the  like.  Some  would  even  say  that  every 
Muslim  is  a  missionary. 

While  the  universal  call  that  comes  to  every  Christian  to 
place  his  life  absolutely  at  God's  disposal  by  no  means  involves 
going  as  a  missionary  to  the  foreign  fields,  yet,  with  needs 
and  opportunities  as  they  are,  this  specific  call  is  certainly  a 
possibility.  And  at  this  point  let  us  make  sure  that  we  do 
not  claim  any  exemption.  This  original  and  primary  com- 
mitment to  God's  service  does  certainly  involve  a  willingness 
to  go,  if  that  should  prove  to  be  his  will.  Readiness  to  do 
missionary  work  ought  not  to  be  considered  an  utterly  unre- 

191 


[IX-c]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

lated  affair  which  one  may  decide  at  will  irrespective  of  the 
primary  commitment  of  his  life.  Once  enlisted  as  a  soldier, 
one  may  not  claim  exemption  from  service  in  Mexico  or 
overseas. 

And  yet  there  is  something  harsh  about  these  phrases — 
surrender,  commitment,  enlistment,  relinquishment  of  all  ex- 
emption. They  come  from  an  age  when  democratic  ideals 
were  not  so  pervasive.  The  whole  question  of  call  lieeds  to 
be  restated  in  other  terms,  giving  up  the  arbitrary,  military, 
domineering  aspect  of  these  phrases,  and  bringing  out  Christ's 
conception  that  we  are  not  servants,  but  friends,  so  that  the 
relationship  is  much  more  personal,  cooperative,  and  social. 

IV 

When  once  we  have  accepted  as  our  call  a  participation  in 
the  recovery  and  the  perfection  of  the  whole  life  of  all  man- 
kind, the  discovery  of  the  particular  bit  of  work  that  any  indi- 
vidual should  do  would  seem  to  be  a  simpler  matter.  But 
who  of  us  has  not  at  times  felt  baffled  in  the  search  to  know 
with  surety  just  what  God  would  have  us  do,  even  when  we 
were  willing  to  be  led?  Our  whole  conception  of  God  as 
Father,  however,  assures  one  that  the  individual  who  seeks 
guidance  can  count  on  arriving  at  his  vocation.  To  each  man 
or  woman  the  knowledge  of  God's  will  may  come  in  different 
terms,  but  in  one  of  the  many  ways  that  his  sheep  hear  his 
voice,  the  great  Shepherd  will  speak  to  you.  It  may  be 
through  some  speaker  in  conference  or  church ;  or  it  may  be 
a  flash  of  illumination  as  you  read  God's  Word.  It  may  be 
some  silent  inward  urge,  in  the  presence  of  which  every  other 
course  feels  wrong;  or  it  may  be  the  compulsion  of  external 
forces  shaping  one's  life.  To  some  it  will  come  as  a  challenge 
to  do  the  apparently  impossible ;  to  others  ^it  will  mean  the 
faithful  continuance  in  still  and  quiet  waters.  Light  may 
spring  up  suddenly ;  possibly  it  will  be  a  purely  rational  de- 
cision. Or  the  next  step,  only,  may  be  given — "Rise  and  enter 
into  the  city,  and  it  shall  be  told  thee  what  thou  must  do" 
(Acts  9:6).  But  we  may  be  confident  that  in  one  way  or 
another  we  shall  know  what  to  do  when  the  time  comes  for 
decision,  if  we  are  true  to  the  conditions.  A  few  principles, 
however,  may  help  us  in  this  great  life  problem  that  faces 
every  one. 

Life  is  not  made  up  of  a  single  choice.  For  most  people 
192 


A  SENSE  OF  VOCATION  [IX-c] 

life's  course  does  not  follow  plainly  from  a  single  specific  call. 
Most  of  our  lives  contain  a  succession  of  decisions.  Ability 
to  discern  these  inward  leadings  is  an  attainment  and  the  habit 
of  sensitive  response  to  them  can  be  built  up  only  through 
repeated  acts  of  the  will.  No  one  can  read  Paul's  life  without 
noticing  how  his  will  continuously  placed  itself  in  line  with 
God's,  as  a  compass  needle  comes  to  rest  on  the  meridian. 
He  wanted  to  go  to  Bithynia,  but  "the  Spirit  of  Jesus  suffered 
them  not";  he  is  "forbidden  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  speak  the 
word  in  Asia"  (Acts  i6:6,  7);  he  goes  to  Macedonia  as  a 
result  of  a  call ;  he  feels  a  definite  inward  command  to  stay 
in  Corinth  and  not  be  afraid. 

No  wonder  some  are  blind  and  confused  when  finally  the 
big  choice  of  their  life-work  comes.  They  are  like  a  wireless 
receiving  station  to  which  the  meaningful  waves  are  coming 
all  right,  but  in  which  the  coherer  or  receiving  apparatus  has 
not  been  placed.  They  have  not  developed  the  capacity  to 
hear  spiritually,  li  it  takes  practice  to  develop  skill  in  the 
detection  and  interpretation  of  distant  objects  on  the  sea 
that  may  prove  to  be  hostile  craft;  if  an  airman  must  be 
specially  trained  to  interpret  the  strange  landscape  presented 
from  the  sky ;  is  it  not  natural  that  we  must  acquire  through 
constant  practice  the  ability  to  sense  God's  direction  of  our 
lives?  We  are  expected  so  to  use  our  gifts  that  we  may  be 
able  to  see  when  and  where  we  are  called  to  branch  out  into 
a  new  path.  No  one  else  may  be  able  to  recognize  the  guid- 
ance that  comes  to  you ;  but  you  must  have  so  lived  and  lis- 
tened that  you  will  know  when  to  leave  the  old  and  take  up 
the  new. 

This  simply  means  that  wc  must  prepare  for  great  choices 
by  being  faithful  in  little  ones.  Only  as  we  habitually  seek 
to  interpret  the  purpose  of  God  and  regard  our  life  through- 
out as  a  continuous  trust  from  him,  can  we  fittingly  prepare 
ourselves  for  the  great  decisions  when  they  come.  Thus  liv- 
ing, we  shall  sometime  be  able  to  say : 

"I  heard  him  call 
'Come,  follow,'  that  was  all. 
My  gold  grew  dim. 
My  soul  went  after  him. 
I  rose  and  followed,  that  was  all. 
Who  would  not  follow  if  he  heard  his  call?" 

193 


[IX-c]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

The  detection  of  God's  zvill  zvith  sureness  is  also  a  social 
affair.  The  more  nearly  the  family,  the  church,  and  society 
are  interpreting  their  functions  in  the  light  of  vocation,  the 
more  the  corporate  aspect  of  human  life  is  Christian  in  its 
outlook  and  attitudes,  the  greater  will  be  the  certainty  that 
the  individual  will  be  able  to  make  a  fine  adjustment  to  God's 
will.  In  developing  individual  harmony  with  God's  purpose, 
as  in  so  many  other  things,  we  find  ourselves  involved  with 
others.  Social  harmony  with  God's  will  and  individual  har- 
mony must  progress  together. 

It  is  a  comfort,  furthermore,  to  remember  that  in  the  social 
group  of  which  we  are  a  part  there  is  One  who  is  more  inter- 
ested than  all  the  rest  in  our  arriving  at  a  true  perception  of 
our  vocation.  We  do  not  need  to  think  of  ourselves  as  alone 
in  this  effort  to  find  out  the  will  of  God.  The  greatest  per- 
sonality in  the  universe  is  ever  joining  with  us  in  our  effort 
to  know  his  will. 

Why  is  it  that  we  so  seldom  come  to  him  with  a  simple 
childlike  prayer  for  guidance?  We  have  his  promise  that 
those  who  ask  shall  have  and  that  those  who  seek  shall  find. 
How  can  we  expect  to  interpret  the  fluctuating  play  of  circum- 
stance, or  the  opening  and  closing  of  doors  along  our  path, 
if  we  do  not  discipline  ourselves  through  prayer  and  reflec- 
tion to  discern  his  will?  A  more  frequent  request  for  such 
direction  would  lead  us  to  go  forward  on  life's  way  with  ever 
deepening  reverence. 

We  must  employ  reasonable  means  of  ascertaining  facts  of 
need  and  opportunity,  if  we  wish  to  admit  into  our  lives  the 
very  material  out  of  which  a  call  comes.  Mackay,  humanly 
speaking,  would  not  have  gone  to  Uganda  if  he  had  not  begun 
to  read  widely  on  Africa,  thus  becoming  impressed  with  the 
fact  that  Muhammadanism  was  making  its  great  strides  in 
Africa  because  it  carried  with  it  a  higher  civilization.  The 
question  came  to  Mackay,  Why  should  not  Christianity  carry 
its  superior  civilization  to  the  blacks?  It  was  not  until  Han- 
nington  resolved  to  make  himself  better  acquainted  with  what 
was  being  done  to  carry  out  the  will  of  Christ  for  the  world, 
that  he  learned  of  the  serious  crisis  brought  about  by  the 
death  of  Smith  and  O'Neil.  To  this  young  rector,  uncon- 
ventional, athletic,  occupying  an  easy  post  in  England,  but 
dead  in  earnest,  this  new  knowledge  proved  to  be  his  call. 
James    Chalmers    in    New   Guinea   became   one   of   the   most 

194 


A  SENSE  OF  VOCATION  [IX-c] 

famous  and  successful  missionaries  of  modern  times.  When 
he  was  still  a  boy  his  pastor  one  Sunday  read  a  description 
of  work  in  the  Fiji  Islands.  This  information,  along  with 
the  earnest  appeal  of  the  pastor,  was  the  call  to  Chalmers. 

It  is  not  simply  information  and  perception  of  need  that 
produce  the  most  powerful  call.  Consciousness  of  power  to 
meet  that  need  forms  one  of  the  most  appealing  elements  in 
vocation.  Power  to  meet  the  need,  however,  is  not  to  be 
thought  of  as  power  merely  in  one's  self.  Often  utter  insuffi- 
ciency is  the  only  consciousness.  But  there  must  be  enough 
experimental  knowledge  of  God  in  and  through  the  channel 
of  one's  life  to  bring  the  assurance,  "I  can  do  all  things  in 
him  that  strengtheneth  me"  (Phil.  4:13).  The  contrast  be- 
tween supply  on  your  part  and  demand  on  the  world's  part 
should  enter  into  a  person's  entrance  upon  any  walk  in  life. 
Religiously,  it  is  the  contrast  between  the  non-Christian  world 
both  here  and  abroad  and  the  riches  that  are  in  God  through 
Christ.  It  was  this  that  moved  Keith-Falconer  to  go  to 
Arabia.  "Whilst  vast  continents  are  shrouded  in  almost  utter 
darkness,  and  hundreds  of  millions  suffer  the  horrors  of 
heathenism,  or  of  Islam,  the  burden  of  proof  lies  upon  you  to 
show  that  the  circumstances  in  which  God  has  placed  you 
were  meant  by  him  to  keep  you  out  of  the  foreign  mission 
field."  David  Livingstone,  after  reading  Gutzlaff's  appeals 
for  China,  decided  to  give  himself  to  missionary  service.  In 
writing  to  the  directors  of  the  London  Missionary  Society, 
he  said :  "At  home  the  population  is  fairly  well  supplied,  while 
the  majority  of  the  population  of  the  world  is  entirely  destitute 
of  the  means  of  grace.  The  greater  prospect  of  usefulness 
and  fhe  fact  that,  even  were  the  present  rate  of  se?f-dedication 
of  qualified  persons  to  that  cause  greatly  augmented,  many 
millions  must  perish  without  even  the  chance  of  hearing  the 
glad  news  of  salvation  by  Christ,  would  render  it  imperative 
on  me,  if  _  qualified,  and  on  all  other  qualified  Christians  to 
obey  the  command  of  our  risen  Redeemer."  Perception  of 
need,  willingness  to  go,  and  consciousness  of  something  to 
give,  are  the  elements  in  many  a  call. 

V 

If,  however,  we  say  that  world  Christians  in  whatever  walk 
or  place  in  life  should,  just  as  much  as  foreign  missionaries, 
think  of  their  work  as  a  vocation — that  is,  as  something  to 

IQ5 


[IX-c]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

which  they  have  been  called  of  God — then  the  same  standards 
of  consecration  and  character  should  he  expected  of  all.  The 
spiritual  qualifications  of  a  missionary  have  been  worked  out 
with  some  care.  We  are  right  in  placing  a  very  high  standard 
for  one  who  is  to  be  an  ambassador  of  the  Church  to  distant 
peoples.  We  are  wrong  in  tacitly  admitting  that  any  less 
exacting  standard  should  content  a  member  of  the  same 
church  at  home.  If  the  plain  people  of  shop  and  farm  and 
trading  vessel  may  rightly  regard  themselves  as  called  of 
God,  if  their  specific  vocations  are  forms  of  kingdom  work, 
then  their  tasks  require  spiritual  qualifications  also. 

Let  us  apply  some  of  the  standards  set  up  for  the  foreign 
missionary  to  our  own  lives.  We  are  told  that  the  missionary 
should  have  such  a  character  as  shall  demonstrate  the  power 
of  Christ  in  individual  life ;  but  is  this  a  qualification  from 
which  any  of  us  should  be  released?  Missionaries  are  warned 
that  the  people  in  non-Christian  lands  are  ready  to  have  their 
bodies  cared  for  and  to  be  helped  materially,  and  that  there- 
fore they  will  be  tempted  to  spend  their  lives  in  giving  people 
what  they  are  willing  to  receive,  to  the  neglect  of  any  effort 
to  give  them  what  they  most  need.  Is  this  warning  less  needed 
by  the  world  Christian  at  home,  engaged  in  the  ministry  of 
the  farm  or  shop  or  office?  Missionaries  are  told  that  they 
must  guard  against  "dictatorialness,  dogmatic  assertlveness, 
slothfulness,  spiritual  indolence,  mere  formality  of  service, 
weakening  of  moral  fiber  and  tone,  degeneration  of  standard 
and  ideal  for  self  and  others."  Are  not  these  equally  the 
temptations  of  those  who  stay  at  home?  If  the  missionary 
must  maintain  his  spiritual  power  by  cultivating  habits  of 
spiritual  refreshment,  shall  we  on  our  part  expect  to  attain 
such  habits  without  conscious  effort?  If  the  missionary  must 
not  let  school  work,  or  hospital,  or  editor's  desk  distract  him 
from  personal  work  with  men,  pray  w^hat  releases  the  Chris- 
tian teacher,  doctor,  or  editor  from  personal  work  in  this 
land?  Almost  every  missionary  is  greatly  overworked,  as 
indeed  we  feel  we  are  here  at  home ;  but  is  he  the  only  man 
to  be  expected  to  make  careful  adjustment  between  routine 
and  spiritual  efficiency? 

Candidates  for  foreign  mission  service  are  told  that  men 
are  wanted  who  will  esteem  home  and  companionship  of  loved 
ones  and  ease  and  pleasant  surroundings  in  such  a  way  as 
not  to  let  these  dull  God's  call  to  duty.     They  are  told  that 

196 


A  SENSE  OF  VOCATION  [IX-c] 

they  must  show  a  constant  wilhngness  to  sacrifice,  to  endure 
hardness,  and  to  hold  personal  comfort  lightly.  But  why 
should  Board  secretaries  have  to  apologize  for  placing  the 
qualifications  so  high?  Why  are  they  afraid  of  discouraging 
the  very  men  and  women  whom  they  most  want  to  have  go 
abroad?  Is  it  not  because  the  Church  has  failed  to  apply  a 
spiritual  standard  to  each  vocation?  The  Church  in  behalf 
of  each  of  its  members  must  turn  again  to  Christ,  who  said, 
"If  any  man  will  come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and 
take  up  his  cross  daily,  and  follow  me." 

Now  if  one  is  to  balance  over  against  a  missionary's  voca- 
tion of  developing Uhe  Kingdom  another's  apparent  task  of 
making  shoes,  or  selling  oil,  or  designing  engines,  then  un- 
doubtedly the  previously  enumerated  high  qualifications  seem 
more  necessary  for  the  kingdom  man  than  for  the  shoe- 
maker. But  the  trouble  comes  in  imagining  that  anyone  is 
called  merely  to  make  boots  or  sell  oil  or  design  engines. 
These,  also,  are  called  to  develop  God's  Kingdom  in  and 
through  and  along  with  their  necessary  tasks.  Kingdom  work 
requires  kingdom  qualifications.  It  was  because  Carey,  the 
shoemaker,  had  them,  that  he  could  have  them  when  inaugu- 
rating modern  missions  in  Serampore.  When  the  Church 
expectantly  trains  each  of  its  members  to  the  attainment  of 
such  qualifications,  it  will  more  rightly  conceive  its  mission. 

As  in  modern  warfare  you  can  scarcely  speak  of  non-com- 
batants, so  for  the  growth  of  the  Kingdom  throughout  the 
world  every  man's,  woman's,  and  child's  utmost  is  required. 
There  are  no  peculiar  callings  in  the  sense  that  they  alone 
are  sacred.  Christ  is  calling  many  young  men  and  women  to 
enter  the  very  center  of  modern  business  and  political  life, 
to  fight  inefficiency,  ignorance,  and  sin,  to  grapple  with  prob- 
lems, with  the  faith  that  only  a  Christian  can  bring  to  bear, 
and  to  witness  throughout  that  life  is  more  than  food  and 
the  body  more  than  raiment.  The  spiritual  qualifications  set 
up  for  the  Church's  ambassadors  abroad  are  certainly  none 
too  high  for  every  line  of  work,  if  abundant  life  is  the  heritage 
of  all.  The  standard  for  a  missionary  is  certainly  very  high, 
but  great  also  is  the  standard  for  a  Christian  business  man 
who  must  work  in  absolute  loyalty  to  the  spirit  and  principles 
of  Christ.  The  mark  of  a  world  Christian  in  any  sphere  is 
readiness  to  face  the  high  demands  of  his  life-work  as  a 
sacred  vocation. 

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[IX-c]         MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN 

TOPICS  FOR  DISCUSSION 

1.  How  would  you  show  that  Christianity  demands  that  a 
commercial  career  be  regarded  as  a  "vocation,"  as  much  as 
the  ministry? 

2.  To  what  extent  is  the  foreign  representative  of  a  busi- 
ness house  under  obligations  to  extend  the  Kingdom? 

3.  What  difference  is  there  between  calls  to  military  service, 
Red  Cross  work,  winning  America  to  Christ,  and  winning  the 
entire  world  to  Christ? 

4.  Criticize  the  following  opinion :  "It  is  not  considered 
ethical  for  missionaries,  ministers,  physicians,  and  teachers 
to  compete  with  one  another  and  seek  to  put  each  other  out 
of  business,  or  to  regard  their  earnings  as  their  main  induce- 
ment to  labor.  But  the  manufacturer,  the  importer,  the 
broker,  the  mechanic,  the  unskilled  laborer,  are  supposed  to 
be  influenced  by  far  lower  motives.  Until  we  elevate  every 
trade  and  calling  to  a  holy  ministry,  until  the  nominally  Chris- 
tian merchants  who  enter  the  markets  of  non-Christian  lands 
are  impelled  by  the  identical  motives  which  send  out  the  mis- 
sionary, the  commerce  of  Christendom  is  the  propaganda  of 
an  anti-Christian  ethic." 

5.  Who  are  God's  chosen  people  today?  What  would  be 
the  effect  of  a  general  belief  that  there  is  a  divine  plan  for 
every  nation  ? 

6.  What  matters  most — the  character  of  the  work,  the 
place  of  the  work,  or  the  fact  that  it  is  the  work  to  which 
God  has  called  you? 

7.  What  constitutes  a  call? 

8.  How  is  a  vocation  to  be  discovered? 

9.  In  what  attitude  of  mind  and  spirit  should  the  student 
of  the  purpose  of  God  for  his  life  approach  decision? 

10.  Which  of  the  nine  "marks"  which  we  have  been  study- 
ing are  possessed  by  a  typical  trade  union  ?  By  a  tj^pical 
church  ? 

11.  The  Church  has  had  a  long  history  of  dealing  with 
a  great  world  problem.  What  are  the  richest  lessons  that  can 
be  drawn  from  this  experience  for  our  world  tasks? 


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